Staying Safe from Covid-19 and the Big Bear Hunt

We live in strange times when taking a simple ride from the suburbs into town becomes a death defying act of bravery. But Dan had to drive in to sign some emergency relief checks for the DC Metro Labor Council so they could distribute hardship funds to families whose breadwinners had lost jobs due to all the closures. It was a scary act of mercy.

“Come on, take a ride,” Dan urged me. I looked at him as if he were mad and then realized he was right. I could stay in the car, sitting in bright sunlight, outside the AFL-CIO Building. He and the council’s executive director stayed their distance as she passed him the box of checks. He had gloves and his own pen and hand sanitizer, thanks to the small purse size bottles the Bank of Labor had given out a week earlier. The one thing you can say about labor. We take care of our own. And as many others as we can.

The ride in was glorious and fear gave way to awe at the beauty of the cherry blossoms, still in full bloom, at the Tidal Basin. Everything was either delicate pinks and whites or that pale green of fresh young leaves on trees and grass. It was definitely what I needed.

On the way home, we stopped to pick up a takeout lunch. The local Popeye’s had no drive through window or curbside delivery so we passed and went to Taco Bell – yes, the craving for junk food was strong after all those healthy salads and whole wheat bread and turkey sandwiches at home. We used the takeout window, got home and carefully took off outer wrappers, washed our hands, and then tucked into oozing grease and special sauce for our burritos.

And that brings me to the issue of food safety in the time of coronavirus. There’s a lot of good information out there on how to stay safe when bringing groceries home from stores and how to protect yourself when ordering and bringing in deliveries from your porch or doorstep. There’s also, as always, some bad information too. Let’s start with the good.

So far, there is no evidence that coronaviruses are spread in food. There’s a video making the rounds where a family practice doctor advises washing fresh fruits and vegetables with dish soap. Now, I’m sure the guy is well meaning. But frankly alarm bells went off for me. It’s not a good idea. The CDC, FDA, and World Safety Organization all recommend against doing this. First, it’s not necessary. Covid-19 is not a food borne disease. But they don’t even recommend doing that for actual food borne illnesses, primarily because it’s not safe. 

There’s some controversy over that, with some people swearing that they wash their produce with dish soap and they are perfectly fine. The key, they say, is to rinse off the produce thoroughly after giving it a good soak in soapy water. But dish soaps can leave a residue and it’s hard to get all of it off, especially on leafy greens that have lots of nooks, crannies, and crevices.

Most food safety organizations recommend rinsing produce thoroughly in plain water and using a vegetable brush to scrub grime off. There also are commercial washes especially made for produce that are safe to use, though these organizations say it’s not necessary. My feeling is if it’s safe for human consumption and makes you feel better, why not?

Another thing you can do if you are really anxious or immune-compromised is to just not eat raw produce right now. I know the health benefits of a colorful and tasty salad. And despite firmly believing lettuce kills, I actually like salads and still eat them, even now. But they aren’t necessary to get your nutrients. Remember, this pandemic may go on a long time but ultimately, it is a temporary situation. So, it’s okay to forego raw foods. Cooked vegetables are healthy and the virus does not survive the heat of cooking. You can also bake apples or make fruit cobblers to get fruits too. There are lots of ways to cook produce to keep it safe

But what about the outer packaging on foodstuff and other groceries? Ah, that’s trickier.

In general, the coronavirus can survive and be detected on hard surfaces anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Covid-19 is a respiratory disease and its main way of spreading is from droplets in the air when people cough or sneeze. Some experts feel the risk of infection from deliveries and packages is minimal. Most things shipped over night or over a few days are safe because the virus doesn't last on surfaces indefinitely. The one real risk is if the actual person delivering to your door is infected and sneezes or coughs on it or touches it after doing so. It may not be a huge risk, but it is there. So, it's helpful to know how long the virus lasts on various surfaces and what you can do to protect yourself.

On copper, it lasts about four hours. On stainless steel, plastics, and most kitchen counter tops, it lasts about three days. On cardboard and paper, it can last 24 hours. It can survive on glass for 96 hours. Here's a pretty good chart to illustrate it, But it’s strength degrades over time and under various conditions including the temperature and humidity. When you bring in your groceries and even things delivered to your door, there are some safety precautions you can take to minimize the risk from spreading the virus.

What's important to know is that common disinfectants from Lysol to Clorox kill it effectively.

So, here’s what I’ve been doing. When I bring stuff home or get in a delivery, I either use a Lysol wipe (until I ran out) or saturate a paper towel with Lysol spray so it’s as wet as a wipe would be, and I simply wipe down jars, cans, and bottles. Anything nonperishable in a cardboard box, I simply put aside for a day or put away in the pantry, since the bug only lives on it for about 24 hours. It will die on its own, so if you don’t need to use it immediately, just leave it. Otherwise, wipe it down too. Then, I wash my hands thoroughly.

An encouraging thing to remember is that coronavirus is not spread just by touching infected surfaces. You have to touch them and then rub your eyes, touch your mouth, or touch your nose. If you touch something – such as picking up a box from outside – disinfect or place the box out of the way for 24 hours and promptly and thoroughly wash your hands immediately after handling it, you have stopped the chain of infection from occurring. Of course, if you have them, you can also wear gloves while touching and disinfecting these things. And nobody will think you are paranoid in this day and age.

It sounds like a lot of work when writing or reading about it, but I unloaded some groceries and brought in some delivered goods yesterday and it took me a few minutes to wipe everything down and give myself the peace of mind.

Another thing that will give you peace of mind is to do something to get your mind off the pervasive fear and anxiety most of us are feeling. Taking walks, with proper social distancing, watching light comedies or favorite old movies, staying connected online or on the phone, and doing something positive, like engaging in the Great Bear Hunt.

This is something like a scavenger hunt somebody started in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Parents and their kids, when walking or driving around their neighborhoods, can look for and see how many teddy bears they can spot and point out in their neighbors’ windows.

I’m a teddy bear collector. So, I’ve got my I Love New York bear out in honor of my hometown, which is now the epicenter of the Covid-19 outbreak in the U.S. I hope he gives some joy to those who walk past my window and I hope some of you say a little prayer for those brave citizens of New York and for all of us.