The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health just shared some advice on grocery shopping safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many are common sense advice, but it pays to read through, and remind ourselves of what we need to stay protected from SARS-CoV-2.
COVID-19 | SARS-CoV-2 : A Quick Explainer
First of all, we should clarify that SARS-CoV-2 is the official name of 2019-nCoV, in recognition of how closely it resembles the SARS virus, genetically.
The disease it causes is called COVID-19, which is short for Coronavirus Disease 2019.
COVID-19 should be used when you refer to the disease, and SARS-CoV-2 when referring to the virus. But for ease of understanding, we may use COVID-19 coronavirus to replace SARS-CoV-2.
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Harvard : Grocery Shopping Safety During COVID-19
The COVID-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is mainly spread by respiratory droplets, but can survive for some time on surfaces.
The greatest risk of picking up the COVID-19 coronavirus is from TOUCHING a shopping trolley or basket, because the virus can survive on hard surfaces like steel or plastic for up to 3 days.
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health recommends that you :
- bring a hand sanitiser to sanitise your car door handles or any handles that you may touch
- wipe down all surfaces of the trolley or basket, and discard the wipe immediately,
- bring and use a pair of disposable gloves, before touching the trolley or basket,
- try to maintain a distance of 6 feet (1.5 metres) or more, from other shoppers,
- try to shop during off-peak hours to avoid crowds, and
- bring and use your own reusable shopping bags if possible
They also suggest that you can offer to bag your own groceries, or use the self-checkout lanes, to reduce contact.
But if you use the self-checkout lane, please make sure you wipe down the barcode scanner, touchscreen, and/or conveyor belt… or use disposable gloves.
Finally, when you get home, you should wash your hands thoroughly with clean water and soap for a minimum of 20 seconds.
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