The covid-19 pandemic has affected every industry and every aspect of our lives. Whether it’s going to work, attending parties, conducting events or getting along with friends and families, coronavirus has highly impacted our routine. Though most of the activities are restricted for the safety from the contagious coronavirus, activities like grocery shopping are highly essential that cannot be completely avoided. However, you must be very careful and stay safe from the infection even while going out for shopping essential food items. Here are a few safety tips to be followed while shopping for groceries during the pandemic.
1.CONSIDER SHOPPING ONLINE
As the coronavirus infection is a highly contagious and air-borne respiratory disease, it is better to stay inside the home. Avoid going to the market for shopping groceries until you can order them online. Also, try paying the bill online to avoid contact. You can opt for no-contact delivery, where the delivery person will leave the package at your doorstep. Ensure not to use the groceries for at least 24 hours after the delivery. Properly wash the fruits and vegetables to wash away the contamination.
2.MASK-UP
Facemasks have become a necessity of the hour. The face mask is a piece of fabric that covers your mouth and nose to prevent inhaling contaminated air and contaminated respiratory droplets released by others. Wear a mask when the delivery person comes to your place for the delivery of groceries. There are myths like it is not necessary to wear a mask at home, but for maximum safety, debunk the face mask myths and wear it because you never know if the delivery person is infected or not. Also, follow the necessary dos and dont’s for wearing a face mask, and avoid the common mistakes while wearing a face mask, lest your safety gets compromised.
Wear a facemask when you are stepping out of the home to buy groceries from the nearby supermarket. Remember the rule of masking up while stepping out of your home.
3.STEP OUT WEARING PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
If online delivery is not possible or the grocery store is next to your place, you can consider visiting the store and picking up the foodstuff you require. But do not fail to wear your personal protective equipment. A face mask is sufficient when visiting a less crowded supermarket, but upgrade your safety with a face shield, hand gloves and isolation gowns or PPE kits when visiting a highly crowded place.
PPE kit ensures maximum protection by covering the entire body from head to toe. A PPE kit usually consists of a face mask, face shield, glasses, hand gloves, isolation gown/coverall, shoe cover and a bag to dispose of the kit. You can customize the products of the PPE kit as per the risk and the necessity.
4.HAND SANITIZATION
Frequently washing and sanitizing the hands is crucial to minimize the risk of coronavirus and other infections as well. There are hand sanitizers available at every supermarket these days. Sanitize your hands before entering the store and also while leaving the place. Wash your hands as soon as you return home from the grocery store or soon after receiving the home-delivered grocery package. You can also sanitize your hands with an antimicrobial alcohol hand sanitizer that kills the maximum of the germs. Wash/sanitize your hands even if you had been wearing hand gloves all the time and dispose of the gloves properly. If the gloves are reusable ones, laundry them hygienically.
5.GO CASHLESS
Paying the bills with cash puts both the receiver and you at risk of infection. Sometimes even an infected person does not necessarily show symptoms for coronavirus infection being asymptomatic. Hence avoid contact with anyone, and the best option for paying the bills would be the digital mode of payment that does not require any physical contact with anyone or any surface.
6.DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE WHILE SHOPPING
Right from the times coronavirus had debuted into this world, it is being advised not to touch the face frequently as the germs can easily travel from contaminated hands to our face and infect us. While shopping for groceries, you would be touching the food items and the surfaces and have no idea of which surface is contaminated with coronavirus. Hence avoid touching your face and also avoid touching your face mask. Touch your mask only after returning home while removing it.
7.WASH YOUR BAGS
After returning home from the supermarket, wash away the bags that you had carried for shopping. You might be unaware of the contamination on your bag that might infect you or anyone who comes in contact with it. Hence wash your bags to clear the germs and also disinfect the things that you had carried along.
Coronavirus will not attack you unless you welcome it via improper hygiene. Grocery shopping and shopping of the essentials cannot be completely avoided but can be done with utmost safety if you are extra careful. Follow the tips mentioned above and visit PPE Zones, the best PPE dealer in California to buy personal protective equipment like N95 Facemasks, 3ply Facemasks, Isolation Gowns, Bouffant Caps and GClean Wipes. Make sure you only shop for groceries and not the contamination and infection along with it.
