Are people still quarantining their food shopping

[UntamedWisteria]

Not sure I can be bothered with this any more, nor that it makes much difference anyway.

What do other folk think?

Nope

@choli. It wasn’t widely recommended by anyone from a proper scientific risk basis.

Paranoid people started doing it and experts shrugged and published a couple of benign statements saying “well there is no scientific reason to do it but we suppose it can’t hurt if you really want to“ to humour the crazies.

I work in a supermarket with over 100 employees. We're all absolutely fine. If we haven't got symptoms yet then I'd say we're not as high risk of catching it as we originally thought. No need to quarantine your shopping.

@Bartlet I was referring, as you well know, to the belittling and condescending nature of your posts.

Saying ’Just be aware that everyone else is laughing at you’ is unnecessarily cruel and definitely not a part of ’[questioning] a practice which has zero scientific basis’.

Yes - we're taking everything we can out of the packaging and washing everything we can't in soapy water. It only takes about 15 minutes. No risk groups, but it makes me feel better. Couldn't give a toss if anybody else judges tbf.

You’re right @redred9. It probably was condescending. In my defence, it is very difficult to read through post after post by people with such a poor understanding of risk and transmission factors without pointing it out.

I did say if it made them feel better then they should carry on but someone needs to call out the poor science and misplaced paranoia behind it so other people don’t feel remiss in their shopping habits.

Do it. Or don’t. Your choice. I do because it takes a minimal amount of time out of my day for something that may make a difference. If it doesn’t, I’ve lost a few minutes that I probably would have used to watch a bit of TV. If it does, well I’m not poorly/ very poorly/ dead. Also, some people not washing it may have picked it up, got infected, shown no symptoms and been carriers. For me it’s worth the trade off. No skin off my nose if you don’t think it is so maybe be a little less unpleasant to people @Barlet

One thing I will take away from this is the fruit and veg washing. Grapes, strawberries, tomatoes etc all washed before putting in fridge. That saves doing them before eating and is so much easier.
I know not everryone washes fruit before eating but I have always tried to to rinse off pesticides.

@Bartlet

It’s not cruel to question a practice which has zero scientific basis apart from a theoretical study that didn’t actually show any transmission to human from food packaging.

Except that's not what you were doing as you well you know

It wasn’t widely recommended by anyone from a proper scientific risk basis

Yes it was actually. Several virologists.

Paranoid people started doing it and experts shrugged and published a couple of benign statements saying “well there is no scientific reason to do it but we suppose it can’t hurt if you really want to“ to humour the crazies

More rubbish & more nastiness.

All the local council food boxes here, have an instruction sheet included, which says the contents must be wiped down and disinfected prior to use, all a bit over the top.

No, we never have. I do understand why others do it and think if it makes you feel better then great, but it's not for us. If it was that easily communicable then I think we'd see the infection rates much higher than they are!

Never did

But in my view, it was widely recommended on here a couple of months ago and I don't see any reason why the risk is substantially less now.

Yes and fashions change.

I'm not sure 'widely recommended on MN' is a mantra to live your life by

I'm not sure 'widely recommended on MN' is a mantra to live your life by grin

Agreed. There’s all sorts of bat-shittery recommended on here that has no basis on actual facts.

Yep.
Quarantining the dry goods and soapy washing the fresh stuff. Post is also left for a couple of days.

Leaving the post for a couple of days? Daft. Why not just open the post, throw out the envelopes and wash your hands?

Yes. We are shielding

Never done it. Used to bleach spray door handles at home but stopped after first few weeks. Forgetting to wash hands now. Besides i think ive had the virus like millions of others but not sure

Never did

Nope. I never did.
I’m getting one delivery every other week so it’s a big delivery.
I wash my hands afterwards and wash down cupboard and fridge handles

yes - leave as much as I can on the porch and wash the rest.

Has there ever be official government advice to do this?

My dad was putting his post in The Box Of Shame for about a week before opening them and then decided that it was easier to just open them, dispose of the packaging and wash his hands after.
We never bothered but we do wash our hands regularly!

Haffdonga no.

For those saying just wash hands after putting it away, that only makes sense if you are quarantining the produce.

For goods that you are going to get out of the fridge, cupboard etc later that day, the following day, the day after. If the virus is on the produce, you will be picking it up then. Ok so you could be continually washing your hands? But what about others in the household, especially kids who just don't understand the detail?