While going out of the house can always come with certain risks, one of the riskiest places you can venture out to now is the grocery store. In addition to things like slips and falls or car accidents, going to the grocery store now makes you vulnerable to getting sick from the coronavirus.
Luckily, there are some things you can do to help prevent this. To show you how this can be done, here are three ways to stay safe at the grocery store during the pandemic.
Avoid Going Inside, If You Can
To be as safe as you possibly can, the best option is to avoid going inside of the grocery store, or any store, if you can. But since this isn’t possible for most people, it’s best to find an option that allows you to get the things you need while limiting your exposure to the most people possible.
According to TJ McCue, a contributor to Forbes.com, the most ideal way to get what you need without going into a store is to either sign up for grocery delivery or order groceries for pickup. By doing this, you’ll be able to get the items you need without having to interact with others at the store. And, in some instances, you won’t have to interact with anyone at all.
Spend Little Time And See Few People
If you do have to go into a store, including the grocery store, you should try to do whatever you can to spend as little time in the store as you can and avoid seeing or interacting with others as much as possible.
To help you with this, Maria Godoy, a contributor to NPR, you should try to go to the store when there will be as few people there are possible. This will usually be early in the morning or later in the evening. Additionally, by having a list or at least knowing exactly what you need and where it is in the store, you can be as efficient as possible so that you can get in and out fast.
Wipe Things Off Before Using Them
When at the store, your goal should be to limit the number of things you touch that others may have touched. While it’s generally more dangerous to be interacting with someone who’s sick, you can still pick up germs and the virus from items.
Because of this, Adrianna Rodriguez, Veronica Bravo, and Janet Loehrke, contributors to USA Today, advise that you bring your own sanitizing wipes with you so that you can wipe off anything that you’ll touch that others may have touched before you. This includes grocery carts or baskets, doors, screens, and more.
When you need to go grocery shopping during the pandemic, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do so as safely as possible.
