Quarantining post and washing of groceries as new strain more transmissible?

[AlaskanSnow]

My husband and I are both CEV.
Over the summer, and since mask wearing came in we have been a bit more complacent about our activities - thinking nothing of doing a weekly shop in store instead of taking delivery slots, eating out when we were tier 1, etc.

Now the virus is ravaging where we live, and hospitals are overwhelmed we have completely retreated again into full lockdown - only leaving the house to walk the dog.

If this new strain is crazily transmissible, should we be washing our food deliveries and quarantining post?
I know there was a lot of talk of this early on, but cases were so low where we lived in the spring it seemed overkill. Now, I'm wondering if we should start?

After unpacking groceries, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

So supposing I do that - I unpack my groceries and put them in the fridge, then wash my hands. Half an hour later, I come back and take one of the items out of the fridge, open it to use the contents in a sandwich, and put it back. Do I have to do all that handwashing again? If not, what has magically happened to that packet of cheese as a result of it being in my fridge that means it's now officially clean, when when I was putting it away earlier I had to wash my hands afterwards?

If I'm supposed to be washing my hands again every time I handle a packet of cheese or a bag of pasta taken from my own kitchen cupboard - well no thanks. I'd rather clean things once with a bit of soap and water on the way into the house (or leave them for a few days), and never have to think about it again. Then I can wash my hands the normal single time before preparing food and not every time I've handled something in a packet I brought home from the shops yesterday.

@CovidHalloween

Following a virologist friend’s advice, we have been washing shopping and quarantining Mail. Covid lives on surfaces of things that have been touched by an infected person. It’s simple as. Count yourself lucky if you did not get covid so far.

At DC's school the biology teachers are the ones who wait 3 days before marking homework/tests and then wait 3 days before handing it back. Once you know how long viruses live on surfaces, you can't 'unknow' it, no matter what the actual level of risk.

Do they do that in “normal” times? Because it’s norovirus and other gastric nasties which hangs around on physical objects.

If they weren’t doing this before, and sanitising their lab equipment etc, then I am sceptical about their superior virology knowledge...

There's a big difference between (quite reasonably) deciding to accept the low statistical risk of infection from food packaging without doing anything special to prevent it, and (not reasonably) claiming that there's no actual risk. There's a small risk from anything that's been handled by other people. How acceptable that risk is to different people is going to vary, as is how acceptable the bit of extra work involved in reducing it is. I'm not sure I'd be able to do what we do if we were a family of nine. Equally I doubt I would do it if I was 25 with no kids and no vulnerable family members. People will draw the line in different places.

I used to wipe all shopping down despite mostly using self scanning and was immediately opening post, binning envelopes then hand washing. I still do the post now now but not the shopping as it’s such a drag with a household of 6 people and tonnes of stuff needing to be bought. I even used to put the shopping bags in the washing machine after doing a shop!

I always rummage to the back of the shelf or the bottom of the boxes (pick up pallets and get the stuff underneath as well).

We’ve all had CV now but I still wipe the trolley handle and the scanner and will continue to after CV because I remember how different the trolley handle felt after being wiped when we first started doing it. God knows why I didn’t do it before, all those hands that have been up noses, down pants, in mouths, coughing into them. Minging.

eeeyulesmiles
Nail on head. Exactly that.

I dont because it would set my OCD off and the small risk to me is worth not risking that.

Living with CEV family members I do this. Its a real chore but one extra step to stay safer.

I do and have done since March. Not CEV but have MS and newly diagnosed just before lockdown so probably being uber careful as a result. I use Clinell wipes. Also I’m London so pretty screwed if I need a hospital right now so feels like anything I can do do minimise risk is sensible.

@axlcat what a time to get a diagnosis.

It's definitely a personal choice thing, like everything. I've chosen not to, but I can see how others would choose to. For me it's a tiny risk that I'm happy to take, but can see other's bits that I'm being foolhardy and not taking enough precautions. Mental health, physical health, medication, personality, living arrangements etc etc all play a part in the decision. In fact, it's nice to have some decisions we can make, not many of those left! Don't work, don't go to school, don't go to supermarkets. At least we get to decide something. :)

Hope lockdown hasn't been 'too' difficult for you. X

Oh also we don't quarantine post but open it with disposable gloves. For packages we do leave them for three days (again we get them in from the doorstep with gloves on).

I've never stopped wiping things down.

@NameChange84 being nosy but can I ask what the autoimmune disease is? I have autoimmune neutropenia so am shielding due to that

I'm another one with autoimmune diseases but they only put me on the CV, not CEV group. (Lupus & APS)

Even though the likelihood of catching the virus via surfaces is low, DP and I are still washing down all shopping with soapy water (or if the packaging is unsuitable for that, either quarantining the item for a few days, or removing and ditching the packaging). We've been doing this since March last year and it's now a well-rehearsed routine, doesn't take too much time and personally I feel far more reassured having done it.

What if your delivery driver/postie is coming down with Covid or is asymptomatic? They could readily pass it on via touching your groceries, then you unwittingly touch the same place. I'd rather be safe than sorry, since I'm otherwise house-bound. I expect to continue doing this for some months yet.

I don't understand the need for disinfecting a bag of pasta because I wash my hands after putting it in the cupboard, and again after touching the packaging when I cook it. Don't people wash their hands before/during/after they cook?

I don’t wash my hands after each bit of a meal is prepared unless the food I’m touching is messy so I wouldn’t wash my hands after putting pasta in a pan.
But I’m also not washing shopping.

Better safe than sorry I say.

@Haffiana

You don't need to wash packaging whatever anyone's 'virologist friend' has allegedly said.

Here is the actual HMGov OFFICIAL advice:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-consumers-on-coronavirus-covid-19-and-food/guidance-for-consumers-on-coronavirus-covid-19-and-food

"What you need to know about coronavirus and food

It is very unlikely that you can catch coronavirus (COVID-19) from food.

Cooking thoroughly will kill the virus.

<strong>COVID-19 is a respiratory illness. It is not known to be transmitted by exposure to food or food packaging.</strong>

Everyone should wash their hands regularly with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds, to reduce the risk of illness.

It is especially important to wash hands before handling food or eating."</div></div>

This.

Does “antibac” work on a virus then?

I am in the CEV and don’t do this and never will. I strongly believe the virus is transmissible through close contact and droplets spread from person to person through the air. If anyone can show me any evidence otherwise I will think again but I haven’t seen any evidence to say anyone has caught it through unpacked shopping or post.

DP, DS and I are not vulnerable but we have been washing out weekly food delivery since March and will continue to do so, we also open all post, dispose of packaging and wash hands/wipe down the contents as soon as it is delivered.

It’s a bit of a faff but realistically it only takes 15-20 minutes and no matter how minimal the risk it’s a risk we’d rather not take.
We are both working from home and really don’t leave the house for anything other than walking the dog so the weekly food shop and other online shopping deliveries are really the only risk we are exposed to.

We are bubbling with MIL who is vulnerable and we are actively avoiding catching it and passing it on to her.