Explainer | How to stay safe while buying groceries amid the coronavirus pandemic
- A food virologist answers common questions about Covid-19 risks in grocery stores
- What you touch on the shelves is less of a concern than who breathes on you and other surfaces you might come in contact with in a store
Wear a mask, but skip the gloves. Do not sanitise the apples. And if you are older than 65, it’s probably best to still order your groceries online.
Can I touch the tomatoes?
What you touch on the grocery shelves is less of a concern than who breathes on you and other surfaces you might come in contact with in a store. In fact, there is currently no evidence of the virus being transmitted by food or food packaging.
You may have heard about studies showing that the virus can remain infectious for up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to 72 hours on plastic or stainless steel. These are controlled laboratory studies, in which high levels of infectious virus are applied to the surfaces and humidity and temperature held constant. In these experiments, the level of infectious virus – virus capable of causing disease – decreased even after a few hours, indicating that the virus does not survive well on these surfaces.
The highest risk is close contact with other people who may be shedding virus in droplets as they sneeze, talk or breathe nearby.