One obstacle that individuals are facing during social distancing is how to feed themselves safely. For many, the idea of cooking every single day is daunting. While curb-side restaurants and delivery services are still available, I wanted to share some tips on how to remain safe, smart, and healthy while ordering take-out and curbside.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) FAQ section reassures that it cannot be passed through food: “Currently there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19.” That said, we do know the virus can still live temporarily on commonly touched surfaces. According to a recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, this is how long the virus appears to be able to survive on respective surfaces: - In the air — 3 hours
- On copper — 4 hours
- On cardboard — 24 hours
- On stainless steel — 48 hours
- On plastic — 72 hours
With these findings in mind, follow extra safe and sanitary precautions when ordering in:
- Avoid ordering in altogether if you or any family/housemates are sick, exhibiting symptoms, elderly, or more at risk for contracting COVID-19.
- Avoid touching public surfaces (like door handles) by choosing curb-side pickup only. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer immediately following a pickup exchange, and avoid touching your face before sanitizing hands.
- When possible, choose contact-free delivery options when ordering in. Many food delivery services are giving members a no-contact drop-off option, where couriers will leave orders on the doorstep and let customers know they’ve done so. If you're ordering in directly from a restaurant, give the courier special instructions to leave your order at the door.
- Leave cardboard boxes and packaging outside for 24 hours—or, even better, immediately take them out to the recycling.
- Transfer food to your own clean dishes and cutlery to serve and eat, and immediately throw out/recycle all containers and packaging.
- Wash your hands thoroughly before and after eating.
- Disinfect the surfaces in your home that come in contact with any delivery bags, containers, etc.
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