Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19
“Shared expectations lead to predictability.”
01 Q: How can I protect myself if someone else gets groceries for me?
A: When you or others bring groceries to your home, leave them outside until you are ready to safely disinfect the items. Remove each product from shopping bags and using a standard disinfectant, wipe or spray the outer surfaces of each plastic, metal or glass product container, leaving the surface appearing “wet” for at least 10 seconds. Place on a clean disinfected surface. Pour or dump items such as bread, cereal and crackers in properly cleaned storage containers, safely placing the wrappers and coverings aside. Thoroughly wash all fruit and vegetables with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Valuable suggestions and methods to carry out these important procedures are discussed and demonstrated in this 13-minute video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=sjDuwc9KBps&feature=emb_log —JPhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=sjDuwc9KBps&feature=emb_logo
02 Q: I sent my family and friends the 13-minute video on safely unpacking groceries. My son tells me not to do this – it has been debunked. He sent me back an Internet article saying the CDC does not recommend sanitizing groceries nor does the World Health Organization. The FDA stated there is no evidence of human or animal food or food packaging being associated with transmission of the coronavirus. Is this true?
A: It is true that neither the CDC nor the WHO specify groceries in its recommendations for sanitizing. But that doesn’t mean they recommend not doing it! They also haven’t specified sanitizing automobile steering wheels, computer keyboards, and tray tables. But all of these are covered under the broad guideline defining the need to disinfect “surfaces.” It is also true that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not reported any studies of virus contamination of food. But the absence of such studies doesn’t prove that food can’t be contaminated.
Following these conclusions that protective actions are not necessary can be quite dangerous. Consider the following. A cereal package was handled by a stocking clerk loading store shelves while coughing. If we believe the scientific fact that this virus remains viable – can infect others – on cardboard for up to 24 hours, why would anyone assume that handling that carton a few hours later at home was safe? Until proven otherwise, we have to assume that all surfaces can be contaminated by coronavirus-19.
03 Q: How long does coronavirus-19 remain infectious on different surfaces?
A: Many early reports answered this question with widely differing time intervals. To clarify this scientifically, the National Institute of Health in March 2020 published the definitive answer:
- “In aerosols for up to 3 hours”; (this refers to airborne particles)
- “On copper for up to 4 hours”;
- “On cardboard for up to 24 hours”;
- “On plastic and stainless steel for up to up to 3 days.”
- Per previous guidance – all “hard surfaces” are in this above group.)
- In a related earlier study, similar coronavirus particles remained infectious for 2 years or more when frozen.
These data guides us in how best to schedule disinfecting surfaces.
04 Q: If you send out for prepared meals, should we worry that the delivered food may be contaminated with coronavirus-19 particles?
A: The safest prepared food to order from others is likely cooked and “served hot” meals. Have these delivered and left outside with no personal contact. Remove cardboard or paper containers placing the meals on clean dishes and bring inside. Wash hands or use hand sanitizer. Using a microwave, reheat the food until steam is visible. Heat destroys virus particles. Cold meals including salads cannot be microwaved, washed with soap and water, or have disinfectant chemicals put on them. Existing research doesn’t yet provide a definitive answer, but indications are the risk is probably quite low.
05 Q: How did authorities come up with 6 feet as the distance for “social- separation?”
A: We are asked to follow many guidelines, but are given minimal information why these rules were developed. One leading way infection occurs is by hand contact with the virus on surfaces, then touching the face. The other common way of transmission is direct contact with the virus suspended in the air. There is a greater risk of infection when the virus particles are in greater concentration. We hear that an infected person releases the virus when they exhale the virus “droplets” that come in contact with a healthy person’s mouth or nose. The term “droplets” can be misleading – it implies visible specks of water that quickly drop to the ground. A more accurate term is often used: “aerosol” transmission. Breathe on a mirror, and the invisible aerosol mist appears as a visible patch of condensed moisture.
When anyone infected coughs or sneezes, a denser aerosol spray of microscopic virus particles is discharged over greater distance than when breathing normally. They float in the air, and drift away becoming increasingly less concentrated over time and distance. Consider this “thought experiment” (you don’t need to actually do this while shopping!) Using a spray can of room air freshener, point it away from you and release a short split-second puff of spray. Imaging walking forward and note how long you can go before you can’t smell the resulting spray. Next, imagine spraying another short puff into your bent elbow. Note how closer to you the scent remains – how aerosol particles are more confined in their density and spread. Imagine that the distance you can smell the aerosol odor as the same distance that coronavirus-19 particles are spread in concentrations that enable them to infect you.
Many situations influence the concentration and spread of this aerosol. Outdoors, especially when there is a breeze, these distances are nearer the source. In a living room with the windows closed, they concentration may be farther away. Rather than asking us to remember and calculate for each situation we may be in, authorities have agreed upon the distance of 6 feet separation as being uniformly safe for different situations.
