How to disinfect your grocery items and keep them coronavirus-free

In a bid to contain and curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19, an enhanced community quarantine was placed in the whole of Luzon. And while the global pandemic ushered in a bit of change in the lifestyle of many Filipinos, one of the things that will probably not change is the need to eat.

Fortunately, grocery runs is one of the few valid reasons to leave the house and some grocery stores are still open to receive customers.

How to keep COVID-19 from entering your home

The bad news, however, is that coronavirus can prevail even outside the human body.

According to the National Institute of Health, “the virus that causes COVID-19, can be detected in aerosols for up to three hours and on plastic and stainless steel surfaces for up to three days.”

So, how can you get rid of the coronavirus from your grocery goods?

Dr. Jeffrey VanWingen, a healthcare provider, gave tips on how to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection from groceries.

"When you go out to get your groceries, try not to bring them into your house unless absolutely needed them,” he said.

“Now, if we're going to go with the logic of the NIH, we could leave those groceries in our garage or on our porch for three days.

“If you used a shopping service, please don't have them come into your house, have them dumped [the groceries] outside so that you can bring them in when you need them,” he added.

He also incorporated a medical procedure called the “sterile technique” to get rid of the possible coronavirus on your grocery items:

• Sanitize your workspace with standard disinfectant.
• Wipe down all plastics.
• Get rid of unnecessary/external packaging.
• Move items like bread to alternative storage containers.
• Spray down hearty/thick packaging.
• Wash each piece of fruit for at least 20 seconds.

Learn more about Dr. VanWingen's public service announcement on safe grocery shopping amid COVID-19 pandemic in this video below.

On the other hand, some grocery stores in the Philippines like SM Supermalls and WalterMart are practicing precautionary measures as well.

MetroMart, an online supermarket, also observes health and safety precautions for their grocery delivery services.

Stay safe, mga Kapuso!

For those who wish to be part of GMA's efforts to help stop the spread of COVID-19, you may visit the Kapuso Foundation.