Order Food Online, On April 14 as many as 72 families in South Delhi were told to undergo self-quarantine as a precautionary measure after a delivery boy working for a famous pizza chain tested positive for COVID-19. However, like medical professionals, anyone working on ground zero can contract the virus and it is no different for the delivery agent in question.
Naturally, this incident has struck a chord of worry among the masses. Restaurants and food delivery chains have been promising the strictest of safety precautions during this time of crisis. Since any kind of contact or touch can lead to the transmission of germs and possibly infect patrons, restaurants have started contactless deliveries to ensure safety.
But, is it really safe to order food? How much of a risk do deliveries and packages implicate? Here’s what you need to know:
There is currently no evidence that the contagion can be transmitted through food. It is a respiratory virus, which is spread through human transmission and people are likely to pick it up when they come in contact with a contaminated surface or area. That means there is no need for you to worry about an infected chef transmitting it to you via your food, according to an epidemiologist. This is particularly true for cooked foods. If the chef coughed on something cold you ordered, as a salad, there might be some risk. But if food is handled properly, the chances of transmission are slim.
The bigger potential problem is the transmission of the coronavirus from the delivery person to the customer or vice versa through coughing, vaporized air particles, or direct contact.
According to Benjamin Chapman, who is a professor and food safety specialist at North Carolina State University, there are not many receptors in the digestive tract for the virus to cling to, so even if you did eat food with the virus, swallowing it is not likely to lead to contracting the contagion.
In conversation with TOI, Dr. Ambrish Mithal, Head of Endocrinology and Diabetes Division at Max Healthcare said that since we are unaware of how the food has been cooked or packaged people should adhere to consuming fresh, homemade meals to avoid compromising on their immunity during the coronavirus crisis.
According to Dr. Laxman Jessani, Consultant, Infectious Diseases, Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai, packages go through a rigorous process before being delivered. As a result, the pathogen does not stay alive on the surface for that long. However, people should sanitize the parcel after receiving it & wash their hands after touching the package to ensure proper prevention.
Because sanitization is the only definitive way of shielding yourself from a COVID-19 infection, here are some basic steps you can follow:
• Opt for contactless delivery: Ask your delivery person to leave your parcel on a porch or at doorstep, and use touch-free and cashless transactions. This would ensure that you do not get your hands in touch with possibly contaminated surfaces.
• Wash your hands: Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water before going out of your house to receive the package or after coming in.
• The packaging: Wash all packaging immediately when it enters the household with soap and water or transfer the packaged goods from the packaging to clean containers for storage, and then discard the packaging.
• Do not touch your face: At all costs, avoid touching your nose or mouth if you haven’t washed your hands after you’ve collected a package or have returned from outside. The respiratory virus infects you through the outlets of your face.
• Reheat: Experts recommend heating the food to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Remember, you are only likely to catch the coronavirus through a food delivery if an infected person sneezed or coughed directly on the food or packaging, rather than if they just touched it. In order to catch the virus that way, though, you’d have to touch the contaminated item and then, touch your face. All the health agencies and experts have emphasized the need for keeping hands away from the face as the primal means of avoiding the virus. Do not panic. Follow the aforementioned precautions to stay safe.
Aisha Singh
Class 12th, St. Joseph’s Convent High School, Patna
Fresh out of school, Aisha is a law aspirant. When not with her books or paintbrushes, you can find her acquiring random knowledge from the internet or picking wildflowers off the sidewalk.
