After health officials said the novel coronavirus can live on some surfaces for as long as two to three days, people are taking extra precautions.
Shemeeka Hossain, a West Hollywood resident, says she is using gloves to open packages and she’s doing it outside her door.
“That just makes me feel safer,” she said. “I definitely don’t think we’re going overboard.”
While it is possible to get sick by touching a surface with the virus on it and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say it’s a low risk. It’s more likely passed through person-to-person transmission, according to the CDC.
Jeffrey VanWingen, a Michigan doctor, posted a video to Youtube on coronavirus safety tips regarding food, garnering over 15 million views. He talks about how to remove possible coronavirus from grocery containers and the groceries themselves.
“We should be spending, ideally, 20 seconds on each piece of fruit just washing and scrubbing,” he says in the video. “I know all of this seems like it’s time consuming but these days, in truth, people do have a bit more time on their hands.”
The FDA says there is no evidence that food or food packaging is associated with the spread of the virus. The agency recommends scrubbing firm fruit and vegetables with a clean produce brush and water, but say to steer away from using soap or detergent.
Some grocery stores, including Gelson’s and Vons, are no longer accepting reusable bags that customers bring in with them.
“I feel like the only way we could beat this is, if we are united and we work on this together,” Hossain said.
