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Original poster

Are people still quarantining their food shopping

263 replies

UntamedWisteria · 19/05/2020 19:16

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

What do other folk think?

OP posts:
savehalloween · 20/05/2020 08:30

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.

If people are getting their coronavirus advice from Mumsnet we are all doomed.

Chesneyhawkes1 · 20/05/2020 08:42

I got a shielding letter but no haven't done it. And don't intend to. I'll just wash my hands after touching stuff.

cinammonbuns · 20/05/2020 08:52

@toomanytrollshere umm I’m not sure how you would know this. Did you follow them 24 hours the day and make sure they didn’t come into contact with anyone.

toomanytrollshere · 20/05/2020 08:56

@cinammonbuns What a strange thing to say. My sister in law who IS shielding (the real kind, via a letter) hasn't left the house since a week before lockdown. I'm not sure why you would question this. Luckily she only had a 7 day hospital stay and is on the way to recover. Thanks for your considerate input tho

Winederlust · 20/05/2020 09:21

To those who say doing this eases their anxiety or gives them peace of mind, have you thought about when you might feel comfortable stopping?
I really worry for people's mental health from doing things like this -which has limited, if any, real scientific evidence behind its benefits - to the point that it becomes a habit that nobody can convince them that it's now safe enough to stop.

CrotchetyQuaver · 20/05/2020 09:22

Never have

smokescreen · 20/05/2020 09:31

Did it once at the very beginning, when it was first reported but then realised how daft it was. If you have anxiety and it makes you feel better then go ahead but no one is going to catch Covid from groceries.

Also read that the scientist who conducted the research said he doesn't wipe down his groceries bc the risk is infinitesimal. Those were lab conditions wholly different from the real world.

choli · 20/05/2020 09:33

To those who say doing this eases their anxiety or gives them peace of mind, have you thought about when you might feel comfortable stopping?
Or indeed what the effects of your "anxiety" might be having on your family?

Chillipeanuts · 20/05/2020 09:35

Yes, it’s a faff but worth it for peace of mind.

Chillipeanuts · 20/05/2020 09:37

choli

Or indeed what the effects of your "anxiety" might be having on your family?”

I’m only doing it because of my family, 3 members in vulnerable groups. If it was just me, I wouldn’t be doing it.
I’m not particularly anxious any more, precisely because I’m taking every precaution. Our household feels pretty relaxed.

PineappleUpsideDownCake · 20/05/2020 09:38

Has anyone said corona doesn't live on surfaces for up to 72hours?

Have we stopped being worried about it being on surfaces then? I didn't read that. I thought people were still being asked to be careful at petrol pumps/ trolleys/ etc and in fact anywhere where there are contact points/places people might touch.

PineappleUpsideDownCake · 20/05/2020 09:40

We aren't overly anxious about doing it. We just do it. Like cleaning teeth isn't anxiety over cavities it just protects us from them.

Our delivery comes once a week, is cleaned and put away no problem.
We wipe anywhere we have contact (gates when we are out) or use hand gel after touching.

Laniakea · 20/05/2020 09:44

I suspect we'll look back at this in the future, and question why people did this.

^ it keeps people busy while they are locked up at home, poor, unemployed & watching everything fall apart! Busy people complain less.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 20/05/2020 09:55

No, never have and never will. The shopping arrives and is put away, bags binned and hands washed. Post is opened straight away and envelopes binned. Takeaways are decanted onto plates and eaten.

choli · 20/05/2020 09:55

*I suspect we'll look back at this in the future, and question why people did this.

^ it keeps people busy while they are locked up at home, poor, unemployed & watching everything fall apart! Busy people complain less.*
Plus busy spying on their neighbors. 1984 indeed.

smokescreen · 20/05/2020 10:20

It WAS recommended by several virologists who do it themselves

Now you know that isn't true. It has never been recommended much less by 'several' virologists and none of the virologists who have been interviewed on this topic claimed to do it themselves

JennyJazz · 20/05/2020 10:26

I suspect we'll look back at this in the future, and question why people did this. Anxiety?

Or maybe because the Dr Sarah Jarvis who was on TV every morning told people they should?

Zaphodsotherhead · 20/05/2020 10:43

Pineapple - but the flu jab only protects you against the type of flu that they believe will be prevalent that winter. It doesn't cover you against all the other kinds of flu that you may get in a winter season, it just helps.

So I still question why people don't clean their shopping during flu season, if they are so convinced that viruses are going to infect them from things they've touched. I don't think many people even wash their hands more during cold/flu season.

Porcupineinwaiting · 20/05/2020 10:51

Well I dont clean my shopping during flu season because I'm not that worried about getting flu. Partly because I'm now vaccinated each year and partly because my experience of COVID was about 100 times worse than any flu I've ever had.

JessicaDay · 20/05/2020 10:58

Quarantining post and parcels unless it’s something urgent. In which case quick wipe with Milton.

Milton for shopping too. Storing fruit and veggies into clean bowls and containers after a quick soak in water with Milton or fruit and veggie wash. Anything that can’t be washed/wiped (Flour/sugar bags etc)is popped inside a plastic bag for a few days.

Have an autoimmune condition so need to be careful about hygiene anyway as food poisoning would be a disaster, so handling things like this is less of a change from the norm than it would be for most.

onesmalldog · 20/05/2020 11:10

Never did it because it's ridiculous.

Elmerrrrrrrr · 20/05/2020 11:19

I barely even knew I had covid when I had it and not did my DH.

SockYarn · 20/05/2020 11:20

I also don't believe that just because laboratories are able to detect traces of something on packaging after 72 hours, that means that you will get infected if you touch that packaging.

Can anyone point to a SINGLE case where it has been proven beyond all doubt that someone caught Covid19 from their shopping packets? Not just a "well my friend's not left the house for 6 weeks" type stories? The method of transmission is being within 2 metres of an infected person for 15 minutes. Not a packet of cornflakes.

Zaphodsotherhead · 20/05/2020 11:47

The method of transmission is being within 2 metres of an infected person for 15 minutes

And it really does mean 'near' and '15 minutes'.

Two of my customers - so, served across the till, with a plastic screen in place admittedly, but huge gap underneath and round the sides, so only protected in the front - tested positive within days of my serving them. One quite badly affected, the other asymptomatic (NHS workers).

I didn't get it, despite them standing in front of me, talking, handing over money and cards etc etc.

I think the panic is sometimes the worst bit of all this.

vodkaredbullgirl · 20/05/2020 11:51

No never have done.