What can I do to prevent COVID-19 during grocery shopping?

• Clean your hands with sanitizer before entering the store.
• Cover a cough or sneeze in your bent elbow or tissue.
• Maintain at least a 1-metre distance from others, and if you can’t maintain this distance, wear a
mask (many stores now require a mask).
• Once home, wash your hands thoroughly and also after handling and storing your purchased
products.

How can I stay safe while grocery shopping?

Stay at least six-feet away from other shoppers.

Don’t shake hands, hug or have any physical contact.

Wipe down grocery carts or basket handles with disinfectant wipes if you have them.

Don’t touch your face.

Wear a cloth face mask.

While waiting and after leaving the store, use hand sanitizer if you have it.

Is it safe to shop for food during the COVID-19 pandemic?

As grocery shopping remains a necessity during this pandemic, many people have questions about how to shop safely. We want to reassure consumers that there is currently no evidence of human or animal food or food packaging being associated with transmission of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Should grocery stores perform any special cleaning procedures because of the coronavirus disease?

CDC recommends routine cleaning of all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, countertops, and doorknobs. Use the cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas and follow the directions on the label.

What are some best practices I can implement in my grocery store during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Consider moving self-service areas, such as condiment stations, to behind employee counters.

Encourage customer use of credit cards and contactless payments.

Cloth face coverings should be worn by employees while working. Cloth face coverings should also be encouraged for customer use, based on local guidance.

Can COVID-19 spread through food?

The virus that causes COVID-19 is a virus that causes respiratory illness.

Viruses like norovirus and hepatitis A that can make people sick through contaminated food usually cause gastrointestinal or stomach illness. Currently there is no evidence of food, food containers, or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19.

What is the safest way to go out to eat during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Picking up food while wearing a mask or having it delivered to your door still remains a safest way to enjoy a meal that wasn’t cooked at home. The CDC describes drive-through, delivery, takeout, and curbside pick up options as the lowest risk way to dine out.

Can I catch COVID-19 by eating food handled or prepared by others?

According to the CDC, the risk of getting COVID-19 by handling or consuming food from a restaurant, takeout, or drive through is very low.

Can I get COVID-19 from a food worker handling my food?

Currently, there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19.

Can COVID-19 survive on food or packaging?

Like other viruses, it is possible that the virus that causes COVID-19 can survive on surfaces or objects. If you are concerned about contamination of food or food packaging, wash your hands after handling food packaging, after removing food from the packaging, before you prepare food for eating and before you eat.

Should food facilities perform any special cleaning or sanitation procedures for COVID-19?

What is one way I can help prevent the spread of COVID-19?

The best way to prevent COVID-19 is to get vaccinated with an FDA-approved or FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine and stay up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, the CDC recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

What precautions should be taken for food safety during the COVID-19 outbreak?

You should always handle and prepare food safely, including keeping raw meat separate from other foods, refrigerating perishable foods, and cooking meat to the right temperature to kill harmful germs. See CDC’s Food Safety site for more information.

Can the coronavirus disease be transmitted through food or food packaging?

There is no evidence of human or animal food or food packaging being associated with transmission of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Is it safe to eat from salad bars during the coronavirus outbreak?

In communities with sustained transmission of COVID-19, state and local health authorities have implemented social-distancing measures which discourage or prohibit dining in congregate settings. We also recommend discontinuing self-service buffets and salad bars until these measures are lifted.

Can you share dishes with others if you have COVID-19?

• Do not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people in your home.
• Wash these items thoroughly after using them with soap and water or put in the dishwasher.

Can I get COVID-19 from food?

See full answerCurrently there is no evidence of food, food containers, or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19. Like other viruses, it is possible that the virus that causes COVID-19 can survive on surfaces or objects.
If you are concerned about contamination of food or food packaging, wash your hands after handling food packaging, after removing food from the packaging, before you prepare food for eating and before you eat. Consumers can follow CDC guidelines on frequent hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; and frequently clean and disinfect surfaces.
It is always important to follow the 4 key steps of food safety—clean, separate, cook, and chill.

Can I get the coronavirus disease from touching food or packaging if the coronavirus was present on it?

There is no indication that food packaging material has served in significant connection to virus transmission.

If concerned, handling of food packaging can be followed with handwashing and/or using hand sanitizer.

Can you get the coronavirus disease from takeout food from a restaurant?

The virus is not transmitted through foods, it’s not a food-borne pathogen like the viruses and bacteria that cause what we often refer to as “food poisoning”. This means that uncooked or cold foods, like salad or sushi, do not pose any additional risk of coronavirus exposure.

Can the coronavirus disease be transmitted through food and food packaging?

The USDA and the FDA are sharing this update based upon the best available information from scientific bodies across the globe, including a continued international consensus that the risk is exceedingly low for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to humans via food and food packaging.

What are the guidelines for disinfecting food from the coronavirus disease?

Always keep in mind the basic 4 food safety steps — Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.

Can I still have sex during the coronavirus pandemic?

If both of you are healthy and feeling well, are practicing social distancing and have had no known exposure to anyone with COVID-19, touching, hugging, kissing, and sex are more likely to be safe.

Can you get COVID-19 from sex?

All close contact (within 6 feet or 2 meters) with an infected person can expose you to the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) — whether you’re engaged in sexual activity or not.

What are food handling guidelines for consumers during the coronavirus outbreak?

Consumers can follow CDC guidelines on frequent hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; and frequently clean and disinfect surfaces. It is critical to follow the 4 key steps of food safety—clean, separate, cook, and chill.

What nutrition guidance should I follow during the coronavirus disease outbreak?

Proper nutrition and hydration are vital. People who eat a well-balanced diet tend to be healthier with stronger immune systems and lower risk of chronic illnesses and infectious diseases. So you should eat a variety of fresh and unprocessed foods every day to get the vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, protein and antioxidants your body needs. Drink enough water.