Probably not.
There is a ton of information floating around when it comes to food safety with the Corona virus, especially around the areas of food delivery and takeout. As with anything on the internet, the natural pairing to that information, is misinformation.
This article is going to reflect the newest findings vetted by health organizations and virologists, and should help you ease your mind when getting food delivery or takeout in Calgary.
I'll continue to keep it up to date as new info comes in.
The CDC says COVID 19 is spread from person to person that are within 6 feet of each other, through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs sneezes or talks. You don't have to be showing the flu like symptoms of COVID19 to transmit it to someone else.
This study says that it can be detected in tiny droplets (less than 5 micrometers) for up to three hours, on copper for up to four hours, on cardboard for up to 24 hours, and on stainless steel or plastic for up to three days. Keep this in mind when you're ordering food, and just be aware of what kind of takeout containers you're getting.
Short answer, there is no evidence that indicates you can get it from eating contaminated food. At first, I found this kind of surprising, but here are some sources to back that statement up.
The spread of COVID 19 doesn't fit traditional models of other food-borne outbreaks that we've seen in the past, which is defined as two more people getting sick from the same contaminated food or drink. Keep in mind this is a respiratory illness, so as long as that sushi you're eying down isn't going into your lungs, you should be fine.
It's hard to say, as there are a lot of factors involved. The main risk is being close to other people, so you should probably chill out on doing daily grocery runs. You could skip the people and get food delivered, but those providing the service can obviously be transmitting the virus just as easily. At the end of the day, treat everything that enters your home as contaminated, wash your hands, transfer to clean containers, and wash your hands before and after handling food. Did I mention to wash your hands?
Sure does. Scientists suggest a temperature of 150f (65c) for at least 3 minutes to rid any food of the potential virus.
• Soups and sauces can easily be brought to a simmer for a few minutes.
• Microwaving leftovers until it's steaming will do the trick. If you put it in your mouth and it's hot enough where you instantly regret it, the virus ain't going to do so well either.
• Small bitesized items like pasta, vegetables or stir-fry can be sautéd for a few minutes until sizzling.
Again, the biggest thing is avoiding crowds, and going to a place like Safeway or COOP when it's busy is not going to do you any favors. Hit up the smaller, local grocers, go at off peak hours at the bigger places, stay 6 feet away from others, and only touch what you intend on buying.
Yes. Use common sense around food safety like you normally would. Keep in mind not a single positive case has been linked to eating food with the virus on its surface.
Probably not. In fact, I've noticed some of the grocers around me aren't even allowing you to use your own bags. While those plastic bags suck for the environment, they are produced by soulless, clean machines and barely get any human contact until they get to the till at the cashier.
