Fortunately, that’s no longer necessary — in fact, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently released more insight on how exposure happens predominantly through respiratory droplets that carry infectious virus. Although it’s not impossible to be infected through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects, the CDC noted that the risk is generally considered to be low. Along with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, that means grocery shopping may feel much safer now than about a year ago. Yet that doesn’t mean you should ditch precautions completely. The now-classic trio of strategies — wear a mask when indoors or in large crowds outside, maintain social distancing, wash your hands — is still in full force. Here are some other tips to help improve your safety. In addition to maintaining the CDC–recommended distance of six feet between you and other people, washing your hands more often, and not shopping when you are ill, here are some other ways Dr. Woolbright suggests you can lower your risk.
Wash reusable bags. Woolbright suggests using only bags that are washable, and washing them after every trip.Make a grocery list prior — and stick with it. Not only does this minimize the time you spend in the store, but it reduces your browsing, which means you’re not handling multiple items to read labels and then putting them back on the shelf.Keep your hands sanitized. Most, if not all, grocery stores now have sanitizer near the shopping carts that you can use on your hands as well as the cart handles. Don’t skip this step.Go cashless. Pay with a credit card, because even before this pandemic, research noted how notoriously germy cash can be. A study in the April 2017 issue of PLoS One found that randomly swabbed $1 bills in New York City had more than a hundred different strains of bacteria. And, interestingly, most had traces of cocaine — but that’s a different issue.Wear a cloth mask or other type of face covering. As we know well by now, masks are vital for helping prevent virus spread, the CDC states.Wash your hands when you get home. The CDC adds that it’s a good idea to wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds when you get home, and then again after putting away your groceries.
RELATED: Your Daily Coronavirus Alert “Honestly, washing produce effectively is a good practice even when there’s not a pandemic,” she advises. “So see this as a way of establishing the right habits when it comes to cleaning your fruits and vegetables.” She recommends these simple strategies:
Clean your hands both before and after handling produce, especially if you’re reaching into a bag of prewashed salad (which you actually don’t have to wash again, she says).Make your own produce wash: Get a BPA-free spray bottle and fill it with 2 parts water and 1 part apple cider vinegar. Spritz your fruits and veggies thoroughly and then rinse very well.
RELATED: Can Diet and Lifestyle Choices Affect COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy? “Therefore, the original concern about touching packages of food or containers of delivered food is abating,” she adds. “It is more important that we follow precautions associated with preventing airborne transmission of COVID-19.”
