For those who were wiping down groceries and take out containers, are you still doing that? Either way, does your decision have to do with how they think covid is transmitted or how many cases are in your area?
We were doing both of those things for quite awhile when this all started, both because we didn't know a lot about transmission and because there were a lot of cases here. But since we learned that contaminated surfaces are a way less likely way to get sick and cases went down, we stopped doing it. Now I'm second guessing myself, especially since cases are starting to go back up. We straddle two towns, which in total have about 75 active cases out of a population of 137K people. I don't know if there's a right answer for this one.
ETA: we were also just leaving non perishables in a closet or car for a few days instead of wiping them so that we didn't use up a lot of disinfecting wipes
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I wiped down groceries I think once, but then I saw that both the CDC and FDA stated that it wasnt necessary so didnt do it again after that. When I get back from grocery shopping I just wash my hands really well before touching anything in my house. And of course wear a mask at the store!
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@Fawn: We aren't even going to the store - just instacart or curbside pick up. I went once a couple of months ago, and people weren't following the one-way aisles or even trying to social distance in many cases. We have a mask mandate here, though, so everyone did have a mask and seemed to be wearing them correctly.
We also stopped because of the recommendations of the CDC, but now I'm thinking, if it's an easy thing to do, why not quarantine them just in case. But I know in reality that it's probably not necessary. -
I did at first, but stopped doing it once it was deemed unnecessary. Like @Fawn I just wash my hands really well when I get home. We’ve done most of our grocery shopping at Costco because they’ve been so proactive with cleaning, and I feel very safe in their store. Otherwise, we’ve done curbside pickup from other stores.
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@Chuckles: If it makes you feel better it certainly wouldnt hurt to quarantine your groceries!
We go to the least crowded grocery store around us and only go during the week so there's not many people there. Most people dont pay attention to the arrows indicating one way aisles, though everyone is wearing a mask and social distancing isnt too difficult since it's not very crowded.
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Yes bc it just makes me feel better. I know the risk is low but It doesn't take much effort to wipe them down. My Thought process is also influenced by the fact that there's a huge outbreak in Arizona / Phoenix right now .
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We did for the first couple months, but then stopped. It seemed like it doesn't really transmit that way from what I've read, and then I had a friend in the medial field say she stopped wiping them down. I took that as my ok to stop.
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@Fawn: @LemonJack: @DesertDreams88: @Lahela017: I asked my SIL who studies disease transmission and she said she's still wiping down or quarantining. She said it is less likely, but surface transmission can happen. Maybe we'll start again as an extra precaution.
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We stopped after doing it once or twice. I wanted to save my wipes for higher risk situations.
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No, I only did for about 2 weeks. 🤷♀️
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We were never doing it with groceries, but we were transferring all takeout into separate containers, throwing out the ones it came in, and washing our hands well before eating - we’ve stopped doing that. But we only have 2 active cases in my town.
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No, we only did it until my newborn was about 6 weeks old. Then we started relaxing about it.
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I never did. I read this when it was published early on and found it so helpful, with good, evidence-based info! It really helped ease my mind when I was wondering if even getting takeout at all would be ok. https://www.seriouseats.com/2020/03/food-safety-and-coronavirus-a-comprehensive-guide.html
ETA: person-to-person contact, particularly indoors, is truly the biggest concern, by far. Surface transmission is extremely unlikely. Even if there are traces of the virus on surfaces hours and days later, you need a certain viral load to actually get sick.
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No. But most of what we buy either gets cooked before we eat it, or gets washed right before it goes on the table. The only prepared food we buy is bread, and when things were really scary we had our bread sitting in the freezer for days so we could go longer without another shopping trip. And when we ran out of that, I baked my own.
Wiping down food isn't even possible for us, anyway. Someone has to run interference and keep DD2 out of the kitchen for almost an hour, or she gets through and sticks the packaged food in her mouth. She had a mystery fever and tummy trouble after one week where she nibbled on packaging AND chewed the sole of DH's outdoor shoe. I don't know what she had, exactly, but I'm sure she picked it up from her unsanitary habits
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I never wiped down the groceries my husband or I shopped for ourselves. We just do tons of hand washing after handling packages/boxes, particularly those packed/handled by others. We keep a pretty decently stocked pantry, so most dry goods (cereal, snacks, etc.) sit awhile in storage before before they are being touched by us or more importantly, the kids.
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@MrsSCB: Yes! Loved that link! I never wiped down my groceries. Like most, I just make sure to wash my hands well after putting everything away and washed the counter when I'm done. I was leaving packages in my foyer for a few days before opening but then figured what's the difference if I bring them in and go wash my hands vs bringing them in, opening them, and then washing my hands so I do the later.
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We aren't but we do wash our hands really well after handling either.
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@Chuckles: we never wiped anything down
we got takeout all the time and groceries frequently. And we saw our parents often and no one I've had contact with has got sick (they get tested often). We are in NY where things were bad (not really where I live tho). Studies are showing transmission is super duper rare through surfaces.
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