A Smart Guide to Food Shopping and Outdoor Dining During Coronavirus - The Wall Street Journal

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July 25, 2020 5:30 am ET

Months into the coronavirus pandemic, many people say shopping for food and dining at reopened restaurants remains a fraught experience.

Supermarkets and restaurants have introduced measures to keep their stores safe, including plexiglass dividers, capacity limits and requirements for customers and employees to wear masks. But food-safety guidelines continue to evolve as we learn more about how the new coronavirus is transmitted.

Here is the latest on how to stay safe while shopping for groceries and eating in public.

Should I wear gloves while shopping for groceries?

Experts who earlier wondered whether the virus can be spread from surfaces such as groceries and shopping carts now believe that airborne transmission among people in enclosed spaces is a far more common path of transmission. Along with wearing masks, frequent handwashing is a good way to mitigate any risk of picking up any virus lingering on surfaces, they say.

But gloves can create a false sense of security and make hand hygiene tougher to maintain, said Shira Doron, hospital epidemiologist and infectious-disease physician at Tufts Medical Center.

“You can contaminate yourself if you touch your face with them,” Dr. Doron said.

Are reusable bags riskier than paper or plastic?

Many grocery chains barred reusable bags at the start of the pandemic, reverting to single-use plastic and paper bags. But reusable bags carry little to no risk of spreading the virus, experts say. Contact among cashiers, baggers and shoppers presents a greater risk, said Margaret Viebrock, a professor of food safety and nutrition at Washington State University.

Maintaining distance during these interactions and washing or sanitizing your hands afterward can help, she said. People should also wipe down the counter after loading items from bags, especially if they touched the floor in a public place. Washing reusable bags more frequently will help with overall hygiene.

Should I wipe down groceries when I get home, too?

There is no need to wipe down produce, fruit and other raw food items because the virus isn’t foodborne. Washing produce with soap can lead to toxicity, said Kimberly Baker, director of the food-systems and -safety program at Clemson University. While the virus can last on surfaces for a couple of days, there has been no evidence that people can catch the virus from packaging, she said. There is also no evidence of the virus traveling on cash.

Basic food-safety measures are also becoming important as consumers limit trips out of their homes and keep food for longer. Remember to wash hands after touching raw food and to separate raw meat from other foods in the refrigerator.

Can I host a potluck?

Eating at a potluck is safe. The virus is neutralized in the stomach because acids break it down, said Ben Chapman, a professor and food-safety specialist at North Carolina State University. He added that there has been no reported case of transmission through food.

But using common utensils and wait lines does make buffet tables or food bars risky. Most grocers and restaurants have closed hot food bars and buffets for this reason.

Experts recommend providing plates and utensils for each diner and enough garbage cans to promote cleanliness and discourage congregating. Sharon Nachman, chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, suggested hosts offer single-use cups for snacks and condiments to minimize contact among guests.

Can I become infected if workers who packaged or shipped my food had Covid-19?

The likelihood of catching the virus through plant workers is close to zero, said Craig Hedberg, professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Minnesota. He said the virus will die by the time food gets delivered to one’s home.

On the other hand, interacting with grocery-store or restaurant employees carries more risk, he said; the level of threat depends on time and proximity. “Now is not the right time to have a 15-minute conversation about which wine to pick,” said Martin Wiedmann, a professor of food science at Cornell University.

At restaurants, should I eat outside or inside?

Dining outdoors is better because the risk of infection is higher in indoor spaces with poor ventilation, experts say. How people behave when eating has a much bigger impact on transmission than how food is cooked, Dr. Wiedmann said.

Experts recommend wearing masks when diners aren’t sitting at a table to eat or drink; servers should cover their faces whenever possible. When taking off masks, people should keep them clean and stored in separate bags.

Are bars riskier than restaurants?

Distancing is tougher to regulate when people are standing, moving around and shouting. Experts say alcohol consumption can also loosen adherence to safety practices, making bars more hazardous than restaurants unless they have plexiglass dividers between seats. Yelling and shouting can release droplets into the air that can infect people.

Are restaurant restrooms safe?

No outbreak has been linked to public restrooms, experts say, but using shared restrooms increases the risk of infection. Flushing toilets and turning on dryers can stir air movement, said Robert Amler, dean of health sciences and practice at New York Medical College. People should use paper towels rather than dryers and go to restrooms one at a time if possible. Above all, being conscientious about wearing masks, washing hands and keeping a distance from others is the best way to fight the pandemic, said Dr. Doron of Tufts Medical Center.

“This isn’t ending anytime soon, so we have to guard against that fatigue,” Dr. Doron said. “It’s going to be a long haul.”

Write to Jaewon Kang at jaewon.kang@wsj.com

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