WEBVTT - How Can You Safely Unpack Your Groceries Amidst COVID-19?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Vogue bomb here. This episode is part

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<v Speaker 1>of our ongoing series surrounding the novel type of coronavirus

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<v Speaker 1>identified in twenty nineteen, which causes what's therefore being called

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<v Speaker 1>COVID nineteen. Because everything is a little less scary when

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<v Speaker 1>you understand it better, So wash your hands has become

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<v Speaker 1>the mantra of And we've all heard about the importance

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<v Speaker 1>of cleaning and sanitizing surfaces. But once you've made your

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<v Speaker 1>home a haven for sheltering in place, how do you

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<v Speaker 1>bring new items into your sanitized safe zone. We still

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<v Speaker 1>have to eat and get essentials, after all, So what

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<v Speaker 1>can we do to get those groceries? Take up meals

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<v Speaker 1>and mail order products inside safely. Concern over how to

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<v Speaker 1>do just that lead one family physician from Grand Rapids, Michigan,

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<v Speaker 1>Dr Jeffrey Van WinGen, to record a video on the

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<v Speaker 1>subject and put it up on YouTube. You might have

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<v Speaker 1>seen it, as it's received more than seventeen million views

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<v Speaker 1>in just a few days and sparked discussion among experts

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<v Speaker 1>who have helped Ben WinGen make updates. Ben WinGen told us,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm glad I stirred the pot in that way. As

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<v Speaker 1>a primary care physician, my focus is on prevention. I

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<v Speaker 1>think it's really important for people to do the best

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<v Speaker 1>they can to not contract COVID nineteen. Statistically, every person

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<v Speaker 1>who gets it infects two or three other people, So

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<v Speaker 1>prevention is critical for flattening the curve and see our

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<v Speaker 1>previous episodes for more on that and keeping safe those

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<v Speaker 1>among us who would be most vulnerable to the worst

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<v Speaker 1>effects of the disease. Ivan WinGen said, things are evolving,

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<v Speaker 1>We're becoming more aware, and we're trying to share best practices,

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<v Speaker 1>and one of those practices is to think of your

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<v Speaker 1>groceries as just another surface that has to be sanitized. However,

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<v Speaker 1>despite ongoing recommendations about sanitizing surfaces and washing hands, touching

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<v Speaker 1>everyday objects is not the main way that this novel

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<v Speaker 1>coronavirus is transmitted. Being in close proximity to other people

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<v Speaker 1>is the main way that we catch and credit. According

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<v Speaker 1>to the Centers for Disease Control, there is quote likely

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<v Speaker 1>very low risk of spread from food products or packaging

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<v Speaker 1>that are shipped over a period of days or weeks

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<v Speaker 1>at ambient, refrigerated or frozen temperatures and they say that's

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<v Speaker 1>because of coronavirus's poor survivability on surfaces. Nevertheless, the study

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<v Speaker 1>we cited in a previous episode from the National Institutes

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<v Speaker 1>of Health found that the novel coronavirus remains infectious for

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<v Speaker 1>up to three hours in the air, twenty four hours

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<v Speaker 1>on porous surfaces like cardboard, and seventy two hours on

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<v Speaker 1>hard surfaces like plastic and stainless steel. Hence the ongoing

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<v Speaker 1>recommendation to wash your hands and sanitize surfaces when groceries

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<v Speaker 1>have just come from the store where numerous people may

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<v Speaker 1>have touched them recently or worse sneezed on them. Sanitizing

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<v Speaker 1>that packaging too starts to sound like a pretty good idea. Still,

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<v Speaker 1>Van WinGen admits that the data from the NIH study

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<v Speaker 1>offers the worst case scenario of coronavirus viability in a lab.

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<v Speaker 1>He said, in the real world that virus degrades with time,

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<v Speaker 1>but especially for those of us who interact with someone

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<v Speaker 1>who's at higher risk, it's best if you have the

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<v Speaker 1>time to go ahead and take the extra step to

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<v Speaker 1>disinfect your groceries using a sterile technique similar to the

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<v Speaker 1>one used in medical fields. Here are the basic instructions.

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<v Speaker 1>If possible, leave nonperishable groceries outside of the main area

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<v Speaker 1>of your house, say in a mudroom, porch or garage,

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<v Speaker 1>for three days. This allows them to meet the seventy

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<v Speaker 1>two hour viability time frame determined by the ni H.

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<v Speaker 1>If you use a shopping service, you can have the

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<v Speaker 1>delivery person leave the groceries outside if due to whatever

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<v Speaker 1>circumstances you're in, you have to bring the groceries inside sooner,

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<v Speaker 1>including for those perishable items. You can use Vinwingen's modified

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<v Speaker 1>sterile technique to remove possible coronavirus from containers and from

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<v Speaker 1>the groceries themselves. First, sanitize a table or onter top

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<v Speaker 1>with a standard disinfectant. You can find the Environmental Protection

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<v Speaker 1>Agencies approved list by running a search for EPA approved

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<v Speaker 1>disinfectants such as Chlorux disinfecting wipes or a certain lice

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<v Speaker 1>al sprays. Designate one area as the clean section and

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<v Speaker 1>another as the dirty section. When you bring everything inside,

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<v Speaker 1>put your groceries in the area you're designated as dirty.

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<v Speaker 1>Then saturate a cloth with disinfectant and start wiping. Items

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<v Speaker 1>in hard plastic are easy to clean, but other products

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<v Speaker 1>should be removed from their wrapping or containers. For example,

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<v Speaker 1>pull the cereal bag from the box and throw away

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<v Speaker 1>the box, then put the cereal bag in the clean section.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also move products to new containers. For example,

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<v Speaker 1>empty a bag of bread into a plastic container rather

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<v Speaker 1>than sanitizing the bread bag, and wash all fruits and

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<v Speaker 1>vegetables no soap necessary. Of course, before you can even

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<v Speaker 1>unload those groceries, you have to get them, and that

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<v Speaker 1>grocery shopping safely, and that starts in the store when

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<v Speaker 1>you go. Practice social distancing. Don't touch your face, come

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<v Speaker 1>home and immediately wash your hands. Consider wearing a mask

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<v Speaker 1>just in case you have COVID nineteen and don't know

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<v Speaker 1>it yet. That will help prevent you from spreading it

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<v Speaker 1>to others. A mask is also a good reminder to

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<v Speaker 1>keep your hands away from your face. If you have kids,

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<v Speaker 1>it might be tempting to get them out of the house,

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<v Speaker 1>but grocery shopping is not the time. You want to

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<v Speaker 1>spend as little time in the store as possible. It's

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<v Speaker 1>best to plan what you want to buy before you

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<v Speaker 1>go and avoid picking up items to look at them.

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<v Speaker 1>Only touch what you intend to buy. Stay at least

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<v Speaker 1>six ft about two meters away from other shoppers and

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<v Speaker 1>store employees. To help with this, some grocery stores are

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<v Speaker 1>limiting the number of shoppers permitted inside at one time

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<v Speaker 1>and marking distance placement for checkoutlines. You can follow similar

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<v Speaker 1>steps if you get food via takeout delivery or a

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<v Speaker 1>drive through. Minimizing human contact during the food exchange is

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<v Speaker 1>best if you can have your deliveries left on your

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<v Speaker 1>doorstep and pay and tip electronically. Again. Once your meal

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<v Speaker 1>enters the home, take it out of the container or wrapper.

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<v Speaker 1>The food itself is not the issue with coronavirus, though,

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<v Speaker 1>to be extra safe, you can pop your to go

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<v Speaker 1>food in the microwave for a bit because heat destabilizes coronavirus.

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<v Speaker 1>Despite providing many precautions, ben WinGen does not want people

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<v Speaker 1>to fear food. He said, this is not a food

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<v Speaker 1>born illness. Knowledge is the best way to combat fear.

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<v Speaker 1>If we do the best that we can. We're going

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<v Speaker 1>to do our part every person out there, to lower

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<v Speaker 1>the curve. Today's episode was written by Carrie Whitney, PhD.

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<v Speaker 1>And produced by Tyler Clay. For more on listen lots

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<v Speaker 1>of other topics, visit how stuffworks dot com. Brain Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>is production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts for

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