Are takeaways safe?

[Dee1975]

Ok so appreciate I may have been over cautious during lockdown, I wipe everything down from the supermarket before I take it into the house, I open post and throw away the envelope straight away and wash hands. I’m pretty paranoid about any surface that ‘it’ could last on for a number of hours / days. Just doing what I can to keep my family safe ...
Since lockdown a lot of places have resorted to doing takeaway food - which is great they are doing what they can to keep running during this time. Whilst a lot of friends have been getting takeaways - im just not sure it’s safe? Someone breathing over your food whilst prepping it, the cardboard box it’s given to you in ... Etc ...
Am I being unreasonable in thinking that takeaways are just not safe?

We’ve had 3 in the last week! I haven’t worried at all about whether it’s safe and have been getting takeaway from small local businesses throughout lockdown.

We’ve had 1 a week on average (2 this week though 😬) and we’ve been fine. They’re following the safest practice as they can, as are we. More risk catching something on the food shop I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️

I can understand you’re cautious if you’re living cautiously at the minute.

We have a baby born as lockdown started so we are being about as cautious as cautious can be.

I haven’t been in the shop since mid March.

I haven’t had a takeaway. All those people saying they’ve had one and are fine are not exactly giving me scientific proof about the safety of my tiny baby, even if that risk is negligible.

Don’t agree that packaging isn’t potentially an infection risk. Our post lady has had it and as she hands us a parcel she says wash your hands.

I’m in the vulnerable category and completely freaked out and panicked at the wiping shopping down suggestion, and the video of the nurse spreading glitter Around her house on her fingers. I then came to realise that I couldn’t live my life trapped in the house freaking out like that. I bin wrapping and wash my hands after handling the shopping and get the thought out if my head. There’s going to be a lot of mental health issues stemming from the messages at the start.

My favourite takeaway so far has been the takeaway cocktails from from our local cocktail bar.
They came in sealed pouches ( a bit like the Ella's kitchen baby food pouches) and they give you sealed bags of cubed and crushed ice.
They were amazing!!

lividlaughlovely but there's risk in everything we do!!
The guidelines were very clear about takeaway food. There is no evidence it's transmitted through food and if you're worried about the packaging then remove the food, throw away the containers then wash your hands. Risk managed!

I do all the same things as you, but we are living on takeaways, maybe 4 a week. I tip the food onto plates , bin the rubbish, wash hands. Sometimes microwave the food depending where it's from. Clean all the surfaces after

We have survived so far!

We've had the odd takeaway and we haven't don't anything special , just tipped it on to plates. We even ate our pizza out the box on the table like normal.

Yep, but I mitigate as much risk as possible. I’ve hardly got anything else to do than worry about keeping my baby safe.

And as for guidelines: HAHAHA.

Have you seen the guidelines for schools reopening? Do you remember when we were told that the guidelines said no masks, and then said oh actually yes you should wear masks? The guidelines that say I could meet my parents individually in a park but not together? Or that my mum could come in my house if she was my cleaner, but not as my mother? I wouldn’t listen to anything that bunch of clowns tell me is safe or otherwise.

I think if you decant the food & wash your hands before eating then it's probably exceptionally low risk, but it's not one I'm taking. I wouldn't enjoy it for worrying about it anyway.

Obviously the vast majority here will say 'it's fine' - people on ventilators (or worse) don't tend to post.

People in these jobs, generally on lower wages, will feel the pressure to go to work whether they're well or not. I'm not taking the chance on their hygiene levels.

All those people saying they’ve had one and are fine are not exactly giving me scientific proof about the safety of my tiny baby, even if that risk is negligible.

Babies don’t generally have takeaways anyway.

lividlaughlovely do you have evidence that takeaways are a risk? Specifically in relation to CV? Presumably you've eaten takeaways in the past and been comfortable with the risk?

People in these jobs, generally on lower wages, will feel the pressure to go to work whether they're well or not. I'm not taking the chance on their hygiene levels.

Food hygiene is actually a thing even without Coronavirus. I would only ever eat or order food from somewhere I was comfortable with their hygiene in any circumstances

There is currently no confirmed case of COVID-19 transmitted through food or food packaging.

From the WHO website and guidance

No evidence it is transmitted via food and I don't believe the packaging risk is tangible enough to be a risk for us, same as I don't quarantine shopping or parcels. Just because particles can be present doesn't then mean those particles can infect anyone to the degree they contract the virus. I'm not aware of anyone who thinks they've caught it from packaging and not read anything in the news or social media to suggest this is happening on any kind of scale (or even at all).

That has never been the advice

You do realise that the Govt don't actually care about YOU on a personal level? They're balancing all kinds of things, best practise for an individual isn't high on their priority. Reading information from scientists and using your common sense makes FAR more sense than blindly following what some twat shaking hands with Covid patients & declaring it 'nothing more than mild cold symptoms'.

Yes, I've had an indian most weeks since lockdown started. I'm not giving up on one of the few brightspots in life when the risk is so very minimal

What makes you think I'm not reading the science in conjunction with the guidelines? I'm intelligent enough to do they and make an informed decision.

Far better to do that then let your hatred of a political party cloud your judgement 🤷

I do wonder how some people are ever going to function again
And how people risk assess so badly
But on the whole I don't care
Live neurotically for the next decade
More room for me at the pub when it reopens, more space for my kids at school and faster takeaway deliveries
Happy days
And yes I've had a takeaway a week during lockdown and work in the ultimate pit of covid...da der duh a hospital
And I've stayed well by observing basics like hand washing and social distancing and risk assessing based on actual evidence not mumsnet induced hysteria
This place cracks me up sometimes

hobnobs
Exactly 👍

Just wash your fucking hands
It's not bloody hard is it
Jeeessuuss
People really can't apply common sense can they

A lot of people have been living off takeaways for the last few weeks (and not dying). YABU.

Worryingly though, there's a thread people are talking about how they won't engage with the track and trace system and won't answer any calls from the government, presumably some of the same people who are spending hours a week washing down strawberries with Milton. It's all very strange.

Here is a question:

Were a large part of the British people always this paranoid or did the Government just achieve this in the last few weeks?