[NA] Covid19 & restaurants

[Brad W]

Pediatrician told us the virus lives on cardboard for hours. She suggested skipping takeout and quarantining what you bring from the grocery a few days. Keep up the hand washing etc.

that is exactly what I've been trying to do with incoming packages, mail,etc.... Besides getting the rest of my family to play along with me, the other issue keeping me from success is limited fridge space. The perishable stuff has to go straight in, and it's a bit difficult to keep it separated.

Just tonight my wife and girls went to the store....they come in, and even though they washed their hands first, daughter proceeded to unpack the bags and reorganize the pantry at the same time....touching all the bags and stuff that some infected person might have handled just a half hour ago! Ugh.

Yes, you can recover virus DNA from cardboard surfaces. We have no epidemiologic data to suggest that packaging is a significant vector. If you are concerned about the cardboard box on your takeout being contaminated, treat it like an eggshell. Don't lick the cardboard box, transfer the food from the container to your plate using utensils that comes from your dishwasher. Discard the container, throw the transfer utensils in the sink, wash your hands , get fresh eating utensils from the dishwasher and dig in.

Maybe you're right about the evidence...but I think you're missing the point a bit. It's not just the box. Could be the food inside too.
So if you quarantine everything before they come into the house, then you are much less likely to get living viruses in your home

 

[weilke]

Maybe you're right about the evidence...but I think you're missing the point a bit. It's not just the box. Could be the food inside too.

I guess you could always be the index case, but from what we know at this point, it is not a food borne illness:

March 17, 2020
Q: Is the U.S. food supply safe?

Currently there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19.

Unlike foodborne gastrointestinal (GI) viruses like norovirus and hepatitis A that often make people ill through contaminated food, SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, is a virus that causes respiratory illness. Foodborne exposure to this virus is not known to be a route of transmission.

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safet...-safety-and-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19



You do what you feel is right for your family. I just wish to point out that there is currently no data to support this as a major concern.

 

[FormerHangie]

Yes, quite well, and love doing it. USUALLY do it. However, in the spirit of this thread and helping out friends who run small restaurants locally, I might do a bit less cooking at home and a bit more patronizing local businesses whenever I can.

Normally we cook dinner six night a week, and go out on Sunday. It used to be that I cooked two nights and my wife cooked four. Now that I'm remoting in, I cook four nights, she cooks one, and we're going to start ordering in two. from locally owned restaurants. The local visitor's bureau is maintaining a list of restaurants that have carryout.

I went to our local nice burger place for our dinner tonight. I suspect we will be trying lots of different places over the next few months. Also, I think that 50% is a good percent to tip while this is going on. My wife and I are still employed, we need to spread some money throughout our community.

 

[GMascelli]

I know people around here have banded together to support small business and restaurants affected by the closures. The wife and I have been getting takeout from small restaurants all week. I know it isn't the same, but it at least helps.

Mary and I have been doing the same thing here in Ocean City Maryland. We certainly don't need to go out, I'm living proof of what a good cook my bride is, and we completed our regular shopping order last week.

One day we ordered out at our favorite pizzza & Steak shop for lunch. The next day we did dinner out at our favorite Italian restaurant since it was half price garlic steak night. We split the order and still had leftovers for steak and eggs the next morning. They asked what we were driving and the color of our vehicle. When we pulled in the parking lot they brought our order out to the SUV.

We want our favorites to still be there when this is over so we are going to continue and support them as best we can. So for now we continue to practice social distancing and enjoy our time together playing backgammon, watching movies, and cooking. I even restarted the commercial review for testing, I may as well do something aviation.