What's the protocol for making a trip to the grocery?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

Been good, holed up at home, but if you need to go to the store, what do you do?

I wore my new disposable gloves, wiped my cart handle with the disinfectant wipes they had at entry.

Shopped and didn't get near anyone. And then the checkout guy said..."those won't do you any good (gloves). The virus is airborne."

Don't really understand the difference? Have always heard it is a "substance" - oil coated droplets that "land" somewhere - so don't touch things.

So what are you supposed to do if the virus is flying around in air? Can't buy masks.

I know, this is a very simplistic view.

[Lefta Dissenter]

1. The checkout guy is an idiot.

If the person just before you sneezed on the cart handle, and you then put your hands on it, you would be at risk of picking up the virus in his snot. Gloves, properly removed and disposed of, can protect you from a lot.

[Baclava]

11. Ditto, idiot, be first to enter store when it opens, they clean at night and air has been exchanged

You get there early, less people touches to restocked items and surfaces, you're breathing refreshed air before crowds show up to exhale their germs, hopefully. Take some of those plastic bags on a roll in produce section as gloves to bag fresh produce and use more before entering, using vehicle locks, handles. Wash hands as soon as u get home, then a dozen more times, lol

[Laura PourMeADrink]

15. Thanks!!! Good practical advice. This is the only trip many

making right now.

[OxQQme]

31. My local Fred Meyer store only allows seniors at opening for 2 hours. n/t

[badhair77]

51. Good point.

Worth getting there early.

[diva77]

65. I saw a guy with a gas mask on at Trader Joe's. Looked kinda WW II -ish style, but then again

Last edited Sat Mar 21, 2020, 03:15 AM - Edit history (1)

I know nothing about gas masks. Maybe he was trying to emulate Matt Gaetz

[jberryhill]

38. Yeah, I'll second that

You aren’t supposed to touch your face. Why? Because you pick it up on your hands too.

The thing is, the gloves are no good if you touch you’re face anyway. Also, there is a technique for removing the gloves so that you don’t contaminate your hands in the process. And the. Be sure to wash them.

[NYC Liberal]

56. Here's the glove removal technique from the CDC, for anyone who's interested:

[brush]

67. Yep, don't listen to that idiot, it's been reported the virus...

can last for ours on surfaces.

[icymist]

2. The checkout guy is not a medical authority.

You're doing good. Just thank him and walk away.

[gibraltar72]

3. Do whatever makes sense. Any thing is better than nothing. Don't touch face was your hands.

[brush]

69. Don't touch your face should probably be don't touch your mouth...

eyes and nostrils—openings the virus can enter.

[pnwmom]

4. The virus doesn't stay in the air. It falls from the air and lands on surfaces, including on humans

and things humans touch.

So you were right and he's an idiot.

[Demonaut]

10. studies have shown that the virus is suspended in the air for up to three hours

[pnwmom]

12. Yeah, so? The store employee said that gloves wouldn't help because it's only in the air. nt

[Demonaut]

14. so he was RIGHT and wrong

[pnwmom]

59. No, he was wrong, period. Just because a virus is airborne for a time doesn't mean

that you can't get it by touching something the virus fell onto.

And the virus isn't exclusively airborne. A person with the virus -- the stupid checkout guy, for example -- could pick his nose or cough into his hand and then spread the virus onto objects by touching them.

[Demonaut]

70. ?, he was right about it being airborne, wrong to think gloves don't offer protection

read the op

[pnwmom]

71. But he didn't say it was "airborne, too."

That would have made even less sense, in the context.

He said, "those won't do you any good (gloves). The virus is airborne."

In reality, the virus is often not airborne. It is most often found on surfaces, whether placed there directly, by a nose picker, or indirectly, after traveling through the air.

And the gloves do help protect the wearer from viruses on the surfaces she touches.

[Demonaut]

72. I corrected my "too", that was my addition

"Shopped and didn't get near anyone. And then the checkout guy said..."those won't do you any good (gloves). The virus is airborne."
and now you admit it could be airborne, I said studies have shown it stays in the air up to three hours, it's everywhere

you are wrong

[pnwmom]

73. I never said it couldn't be airborne. I said, "Yeah, so?"

The fact that it COULD be airborne for SOME of the time does not lead to the conclusion that the gloves wouldn't do ANY good. Gloves would be helpful in protecting against any virus on touched surfaces.

[Demonaut]

75. "The virus doesn't stay in the air"......a wrong and deadly assumption

[pnwmom]

76. It doesn't stay in the air -- in the cases where it becomes airborne, it only lasts in the air

for a few hours before falling to a surface.

Which is why gloves can be helpful.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

13. Thought there was something new out that said they

think it could have been airborne (Princess Cruise people getting infection through ventilation system?). Why I didn't argue with him.

So "airborne" just signifies tinier, lighter particles of virus material? That can float in air?

By the way...have enormous respect for these people working in groceries!!

[Demonaut]

19. yes

[msongs]

5. about gloves, keeps stuff off your skin. but stuff on the gloves spreads to everything

you touch while u are wearing them. the best things is do not touch your face until after you wash your hands well in any event

[RockRaven]

6. It persists on surfaces longer than the droplets last in the air (they settle, slowly & irregularly)

so guarding against contact is better than nothing. That said, it is not perfect because of the airborne droplet aspect.

From what I've seen -- and there are various numbers out there -- the virus can persist as droplets for up to 3 hours, or can persist on surfaces for many hours to a few days (depends on the surface and environment).

[Laura PourMeADrink]

17. So I am hearing mask and gloves. No masks here.

[RockRaven]

40. Gloves are better than no gloves, even if masks aren't available. That said, as you shop

you touch everything in your cart, you touch your wallet/purse/cash/cards, etc. and at some point you take those gloves off and touch your groceries/wallet/purse/cash/cards/car.

I think the big picture is that there is no perfect solution absent TRULY ridiculous resource expenditure and behavior. So do what you can within reason, and count it as a good risk reduction. The surfaces that everyone touches are probably bigger dangers than the individual items you're buying -- shopping cart handles, stylus and number pad on the card-reader/cash, etc.

If you want to wear gloves and you still have them, go ahead and don't feel self-conscious about it. If you don't have them, don't stress too much -- just don't touch your face, use hand sanitizer once you get back to your car if you have any, and wash your hands the minute you get home (hey, it's better than the alternative ).

[magicarpet]

79. Last thing I do when I leave any store...

.... is circle back around where the wet wipe stand is and grab a disinfectant wipe. Wipe my hands real good - and between the fingers - before I touch the car or get inside.

The hope is to cut down significantly any CV-19 virus that maybe floating around in public areas that may have gotten on the hands.

Fighting percentages,... while hoping to keep the percentages in your favor.

[emmaverybo]

41. And yet most research shows it isn't likely transmitted in air, and not by air, except when highly

aerosolized with intubation procedures or nebulizers. They found more lingering particles in air around patients’ toilets than in their rooms. Probably not what “drives transmission.” Not to say if one is standing face to face with a sneezer or possibly an infected person just talking, one does not get infected.

https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/16/coronavirus-can-become-aerosol-doesnt-mean-doomed/

It can become aerosol, but...

[The_jackalope]

7. I was told all you need to wear is a mask and gloves.

They lied.

I got there and everybody else was wearing clothes.

[Demonaut]

9. awesome!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

18. DUzy!!!!

[SammyWinstonJack]

28. Heh

[2naSalit]

52. Winner!

[uponit7771]

55. +1,

[underpants]

78. 😁

[Demonaut]

8. make a mask, it may look silly but it will become a norm

[Laura PourMeADrink]

21. Make a mask

[Demonaut]

27. great idea but I don't have the teknorote

[womanofthehills]

60. There are so many videos online on how to make a mask

I’m sewing one tonight. Supposedly pillow case and dish towel fabric make the most breathable masks. If you don’t want to sew, there are instructions on how to make a mask with a stapler.

[PoliticAverse]

16. The point of gloves- it's much easier to remove and dispose of gloves than it is to wash your hands.

[Demonaut]

22. you should still wash your hands

[C_U_L8R]

20. When you get home

Leave your shoes, coat and gloves by the door. Try not to touch anything else. Go wash hands. Unpack groceries. Wash hands again.

These are just a few basics. Some may prescribe more rigorous de-virusing.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

24. Thanks!

[Demonaut]

25. very good!

[cilla4progress]

61. We spray sanitized our groceries

when we got home with them today.

[Sancho]

23. I have gloves, but I also made a homemade mask...

...from a vacuum cleaner bag and some air conditioner filter.

Found a model on line.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

26. +1 Wonder if JoAnne's fabric still open.

[Sancho]

32. maybe, but you can use a cotton t-shirt...

There were some studies on the internet, and t-shirts with a filter is useful.

Vacuum bags are good, but harder to breath through.

I used rubber bands to keep it on.

[fierywoman]

62. Or you could use part of a dishtowel that's seen better days.

[Marrah_Goodman]

57. I believe starting tomorrow they are doing curbside pick up

I was there today. The only other customers were two other mothers there getting cloth to make their healthcare worker children masks.

[Demonaut]

33. great, the best material out of a actual n95 mask is the vacuum cleaner bag

[mzmolly]

29. It's airborne and can live on surfaces

for hours to days depending.

[Strelnikov_]

30. Checkout guy has a point, contrary to points upthread

Primary route of transmission is airborne, ye old sneeze or cough. You have no control over this route, hence social distancing.

A possible secondary route is contact with surface contamination. CDC, AUS Health Agency, etc. all note that significant of this route of transmission is indeterminate, but possible/probable.

Therefore, if one practices rigorous hygiene (hand washing, hand disinfectant, etc.) you are rendering this mode as close to null as possible. Cannot eneter through cuts, or via food (barring a black swan sequence) .

So, with social distancing to minimize airborne, and hygiene to effectively eliminate surface transmission, you'll be A OK.

[Demonaut]

35. my fingers are split from washing, good to know on the cuts

[uppityperson]

39. Good post, as a nurse, I agree. They virus won't infect you on your hands

If you touch your viral laden hand (or give) to your nose, eyes, mouth, those are the routes of infection.

Wash your hands.

[Baltimike]

34. Pay no attention to the check out boy, use a scarf or a kerchief as a mask

and wash your hands the minute you get in the door...then take a shower and wash the clothes you had on immediately. I used to take a shower before going out. Now I take one the minute I get in. Be sure to wash your HAIR immediately if you are short as the airborne virus is likely to stick to it should someone sneeze on you.

Be careful and stay home as much as possible.

[uppityperson]

36. You won't catch or absorb the virus through your hands.

Sanitize your hands on the way in to kill any germs you might be brining in. Sanitize the cart handle. Sanitize your hands as or after you leave. Don't touch your face with your gloves.

Getting the virus on your hands won't infect you. It needs to be in your nose, eyes, breathing through mouth. Don't touch your face with hands, gloved or not.

You can wash or sanitize your gloves hands, if you wear gloves for a bit. This will kill any germs you've picked up on your gloves.

He was right in that if you wear gloves and touch your face, you can easily infect yourself because you have been touching things with your gloves and getting the virus on them.

If gloves help remind you to not touch your face, good. Wash or sanitize them regularly, just like your hands.

[Generic Brad]

37. Order on line and pick up

We are going to exhaust our food supply and then order online for drive through pick up when we finally have to venture out. We’re hoping that will lower our risk of exposure.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

47. Yes...booked solid for weeks.. delivery and curbside

[Brother Buzz]

42. You can use reusable cloth bags, however, you have to pack them yourself

[Takket]

43. i went to target today.......

i don't use the handle. drag the cart behind me by the front of the cart. used my jacket sleeve to pull it. had to use a touch screen to pay so used my pinkie for that than immediately used my hand sanitizer. didn't touch face at all

when i got home i imminently stripped and put the clothes straight into the wash. then did the full lengthy hand wash before touching ANYTHING in the house.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

44. Assume people have been spitting on everything. Act accordingly.

[mvd]

45. I wear a glove for touching machines and certain surfaces

I also used the self checkout today.

Giant was out of so many things again today. So was Aldi. About time the stock gets better.

[Marie Marie]

46. Went to a Wegman's Grocery store today. At the entrance, where all the carts are,

they had a bunch of employees who pulled a cart from the pile, wiped most of it down with a disinfectant cloth and then turned the cart over to you. Then, at checkout, they had everyone stay 6 feet apart while waiting in line. Of course this may not protect one completely but I thought it was a heroic effort on their part. I guess every little bit helps.

[pat_k]

48. Gloves remind me not to touch my face.

Since gloves are an 'oddity' for me, they serve as a reminder not to touch my face. Something I am not so great at refraining from otherwise.

And I can't help but touch my glasses, so I'm washing those all the time too.

[pat_k]

49. My local Whole Foods is doing a good job.

They are limiting the number of people in the store (they have a rough tally and let people in as others leave).

Guy at the door keeping track offers a squirt of hand disinfectant on the way in and disinfectant cloth you can use to wipe cart/basket handle.

They aren't enforcing any distance in lines, but people are tending to do that themselves. The limited number of people keep lines short anyway.

Cashier wipes down pin pad before use.

People around visibly cleaning here and there (e.g., freezer section door handles)

Sign asking to refrain from using cash if possible.

[Blue_true]

50. I went to three stores on my way home today.

Saw lots of people wearing disposable gloves. Didn't see any people wearing face masks, but honestly each store was basically empty and the shelves were wiped out.

[Bayard]

53. I went to the local IGA today

Mr. Bayard has been making the big shopping expeditions to keep me from having to go out, but still needed a last few things.

I always get the sideways looks anyway because I bring my own bags. Today, I was also wearing gloves and an Amy McGrath hat. People were avoiding me, and that's AOK! I guess it would have been really freaky if I'd been wearing a mask. No one else had on any protective gear.

On a side note, I got a box of 100 nitrile gloves for under $10 at Tractor Supply. They were all sold out of digital thermometers though.

[stopdiggin]

54. incidentally, was the store employee wearing a CDC approved mask?

if not (an maybe even if he is) .. he's just another ass****, spouting a lot of crap.
Don't listen to AHs spouting crap.
You're doing fine. And thanks for your efforts in protecting yourself .. and all the rest of us.

[marlakay]

58. After reading all of the replies

I feel like staying home and making do.

I had a bad experience tonight where I choked on my tea and I couldn’t breathe or cough even for a min until i threw up. I felt like I was drowning. I think it was because my allergies have been causing post nasal drip and causing phlegm.

This made me realize what people feel like that have this virus, scared me to death.

[ooky]

63. My son bought me masks at a local HVAC supplies store yesterday

where the techs buy their supplies and equipment. He is a heat and technician. They work with air systems so masks are a standard item for them. Might be a place to still try.

Also, I am using a Sam's Club app that lets you scan your stuff as you put it in your cart and pay with your charge card, all on your smart phone. Don't have to go through checkout that way, less people to encounter and less stuff to touch.

[GeorgeGist]

64. Don't take medical advice from checkout clerk!

[Nature Man]

74. Doesn't even need saying

but I'm amazed you had to say it!

Sheesh!

[Meowmee]

66. I wore a mask today my doc gave me

And I will try to in the future. I ordered a cloth one which can be sterilized. Gloves will help if you take them off the right way etc. and wash your hands. I sterilize the cart, no wipes here, so I bring my own. I am taking my clothes off when I get home and washing them as well as hands etc. I don’t shower though, but I have been washing my face. If I touch my face when out without a tissue I sterilize with bac benzelkonium chloride and I wash before going out and put bac on too. It is very hard hard not to touch your face but the mask helped me.

This report from who says airborne transmission is not a reported route, I think touching things may be more so or someone coughing sneezing right near you etc. and droplets land on you.

Routes of transmission
COVID-19 is transmitted via droplets and fomites during close unprotected contact between an infector and infectee. Airborne spread has not been reported for COVID-19 and it is not believed to be a major driver of transmission based on available evidence; however, it can be envisaged if certain aerosol-generating procedures are conducted in health care facilities. Fecal shedding has been demonstrated from some patients, and viable virus has been identified in a limited number of case reports. However, the fecal-oral route does not appear to be a driver of COVID-19 transmission; its role and significance for COVID-19 remains to be determined. Viral shedding is discussed in the Technical Findings (Annex C).

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf

[Squinch]

68. I have one gloved hand and one ungloved. The gloved hand

is for public things: doorknobs, elevator buttons. Ungloved hand is for things I don't want contaminated: keys, wallet etc. A plastic baggy open in one pocket where I put change I receive.

I don't use the cart, only the clean bag I bring from home.

When I get home I dump the change into a bowl of soapy water, wash the gloved hand with the bare hand: soap and water for about 30 seconds. Don't forget to soap up the water faucet. Coat goes near the door, wipe down products or soap them up (preferably soap) as I empty the bag, leave clean products on the counter. Put the bag into the soapy water bowl. Wash hands again. Put products away, wipe down counter and cabinet handles and fridge handle. Wipe down counter (all with soap) wash hands again.

Then take a nap.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

82. You are so smart. First time I wore gloves and had

absolutely zero idea what I was doing. Me holding car keys in gloved hand was ridiculous. Thanks for tips!

[Keth]

80. Interesting trip to get a loaf of bread

I really wanted bread - didn't need it - so I stopped at the local grocery story on my way home from riding my bike. Riding my bike while listening to music is my new favorite thing to do. It was an interesting stop.

I first noticed there was a sign as you entered the store that the restrooms were currently closed to the public. When I got to the bread aisle, a woman was taking a picture of the sign that was posted "Limit one loaf of bread per customer". I kept my distance but she looked at me and asked if I was scared. I told her I was a little anxious and cautious - trying to keep my distance from folks, not touching my face, washing my hands, etc. As I spoke with her, I could see the fear in her eyes. She mentioned she had a four year old daughter, was a single mother and was having trouble sleeping. I think she just wanted someone to talk to. So I listened from a distance. And I got even more angry at Trump - didn't think I could get more angrier - for his response to the reporter's question about addressing the citizens who were scared. I just met one of those Americans who deserved an answer instead of Trump's usual deflection.

When I got to the check out line, the person in front of me had a cart full of groceries and she was wearing a bandana over her nose and mouth and gloves. Good for her, I thought - maybe I should do the same thing going forward. I kept my distance. Unfortunately, this was the Save-A-Lot and they only had two cashiers and no 15 items or less checkout aisle or self serve checkout. So I listened to the conversation between the woman and the cashier - didn't really have a choice. The cashier said she was tired because she was working long hours since two of their cashiers didn't want to come in and work because they were scared. She was using hand sanitizer non-stop and she said she might start wearing a bandana if her boss would allow it. She was thankful for her job but nervous at the same time. It was like she wished all customers were wearing masks or bandanas and glove. I mean, this cashier having to be next to customer after customer all day. I thanked her so much after purchasing my loaf of bread.

As I rode my bike home, I thought about this quick stop at the grocery store. I live in southern Missouri where restaurants are still open for dine-in although I noticed some are starting to offer carry out only. I've got a freezer load of food as I spent all last week cooking - spaghetti, rice and beans, black bean soup, chick peas with tomato sauce and curry powder (yummy), etc. And I learned how to make hot water cornbread - quick and easy and good, especially with black bean soup.

Crazy times. I wish we had a President. America needs leadership now more than ever.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

83. That one line sums it up " I wish we had a president". Btw, I never

ever buy bread except once in a blue moon I buy hotdog rolls for cookout. Why in the world do u think I have to have a loaf of bread now? Nutty.

[lark]

81. Stores here have senior hour 8-9

Not great for me, we walk every day and don't get done until 8:30. We feed 7 feral cats that are waiting for us on our walk and I would hate to not to be there and they leave and miss out on their food. We are fine with groceries for now but guess we will have to change our habits for further shopping and one walk and feed cats & 1 buy groceries when needed.