Shopping at grocery stores can expose you to coronavirus. Here's how you can be safe
Picture this: you are shopping at a grocery store. Someone in your vicinity, who might be carrying the new coronavirus, coughs, sneezes or even talks. Are you safe?
The answer, perhaps is, no. According to Finnish scientists, in closed indoor spaces, particles released from someone coughing, sneezing, or even talking might stay in the air longer than previously thought.
"Someone infected by the coronavirus can cough and walk away, but then leave behind extremely small aerosol particles carrying the coronavirus. These particles could then end up in the respiratory tract of others in the vicinity," said Ville Vuorinen from Aalto University, one of the scientists who modeled the spread of the virus in a grocery store setting, in a statement.
To arrive at these findings, Vuorinen and his colleagues used a supercomputer to predict how the new coronavirus spreads in a store. They developed a model of a person coughing while walking in a store aisle between shelves. After considering ventilation in a room, the team traced the path of respiratory particles coming out of the person's mouth.
The computer model predicted that the person releases a "cloud" of particles. The size of the particles released from dry cough is roughly about 15 micrometers. Particles this size take several minutes before the cloud dilutes, which is enough to infect another person walking by. In other words, another person in the vicinity can catch the infection by just inhaling the cloud of particles, they said.
The modeling study is preliminary. The team adds that the real-life epidemic studies could provide evidence as to how the virus spreads. Here is the video that models how it spreads.
Based, on their predictions, the Finnish team advises people against entering closed indoor spaces, a region exploited by the virus to infect people.
So, how can you protect yourself inside grocery stores?
Experts recommend that people maintain at least six feet distance from other shoppers. And most importantly, do not step out if you have any symptoms. But if you do have to go out, wear masks to keep the infection from spreading, they add.
Masks could offer other benefits too. It reminds others to participate in social distancing, Dr Angel N Desai and Dr David M Aronoff, wrote in JAMA.
It is also important to use disinfectant wipes on carts or basket handles. They also advise people to avoid touching their faces, shaking hands, hugs, or other physical contacts. Desai and Aronoff also advise keeping a sanitizer handy or using one available in the store during checkouts.
It is best not to shop every other day. “If you can get it down to once every week or every two weeks, that’s great," Anne-Marie Gloster, a lecturer in the nutritional science program at the University of Washington, told Vox. She added that it is best not to take children to the grocery store as they love touching things.
Another advice is to leave phones in your pockets. “It’s truly a spit vector,” she told Vox. We spit on it, we fondle it, we put it down on stuff, we pick it up and rub it on our faces. She says makes a list on paper is a safer option instead.
Should you disinfect groceries?
There is no evidence to show that the new coronavirus spreads through food or food packaging, according to Dr Don Schaffner from Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. “I am not recommending disinfecting your groceries,” Schaffner told Vox.
Though the new coronavirus can stay infectious on surfaces for up to 72 hours, most virus on the surface of common materials becomes inactive after the first 24 hours. "There is limited evidence to show that virus particles on those products transmit disease," Desai and Aronoff explained.
They add that viruses on the surface of groceries become inactive over time and it is unlikely that people will contract the disease by touching them. The inside contents of sealed containers are unlikely to be contaminated.
According to Frank Yiannas, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for food policy and response, there is no evidence to link human or animal food or food packaging with the spread of the new coronavirus.
What about grocery bags?
People should discard disposable bags after use. Those using reusable bags can wash or disinfect them. Nylon and cotton grocery bags can be machine-washed in cold water and air-dried, cleaning expert Jolie Kerr wrote for Vox.
"After unpacking your groceries, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Wipe surfaces with household disinfectants registered with the Environmental Protection Agency," Desai and Aronoff advised.
What should the elderly and other vulnerable populations do?
Adults over 65 and those with health conditions such as cardiovascular problems, hypertension or diabetes have a higher risk of suffering from a severe disease or even dying from COVID-19.
"If possible, limit shopping in public. Ask a neighbor or friend to pick up groceries and leave them outside your house or bring them into the house while maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet. Some grocery stores offer special hours in the morning for older adults to shop. Try calling your local grocery store to see if this is available near you. Some online suppliers will deliver groceries to your home," Desai and Aronoff said.
Other experts also recommend special shopping hours. Because these hours are fixed early in the morning, the elderly can expect a smaller crowd. The shelves are also more likely to be well-stocked, according to Vox.
Should you consider delivery?
Getting groceries delivered reduces your chances of catching the infection. It is your best option because it option reduces your contact with other people, Joshua Petrie, an assistant research professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, told Vox.
But this option might not be ethical because you are paying someone else to do the job and potentially expose themselves, argue some experts.
However, the delivery workers earn their livelihood by delivering groceries. And by not ordering groceries, delivery people might not get paid, Saru Jayaraman, director of the Food Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley, told Wired. Also, delivery could cut down on crowds in stores, she adds.
There is a surge in demand for delivery. For instance, Amazon announced it was hiring 100,000 more people for warehouse and delivery jobs.
Alternatively, people should consider contactless delivery to cut down risk.
What about cooking precautions?
Wash your hands and maintain good hand hygiene before and after unpacking food picked up from groceries. "Do not share plates or silverware with others. Rinse off fruits and vegetables thoroughly with water before consumption," Desai and Aronoff said.