There’s a super helpful video on YouTube by Dr. Jeffrey VanWingen that I hope you’ve all seen. In it he gives us all Grocery Shopping Tips in COVID-19. The video went viral, so hopefully you have seen it.

YouTube user, Leptonaut, also gave some great advice in the comments. They were so helpful that I wanted to compile them into a shareable format. This first post is his main comment, in which he shared some good tips. I’ll make another post with his following comments about how best to manage things amid this Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Leptonaut1 week ago (edited) [27th Mar 20 — 3:56:33 am]

I’m a westerner in China. I’ve been in self-lockdown for over two months.

Some things I do…

• Always wear PPE when going out. That means a respirator mask. Surgical mask only if that’s all you have. Surgical masks protect others from you, not you from others. Goggles (that seal), gloves. And a hat.
• When I come in, I put all of my clothes, bags, everything in a hallway area. Nothing from outside goes into my house until disinfected. Don’t put your scarf on the sofa, or your gloves on the bed. When you come in, you take off ALL outside clothes and put on your indoor clothes. Completely separate.
• Avoid going out at all. Don’t “pop out for a few things.” Get everything, and stay in. If I MUST go out for supplies, I always go right before the store closes. I want to go during the time when there are the fewest people and no lines.
• No restaurant food. No takeout. Period. I make it all myself. Now is not the time for you to be lazy. You don’t have a choice. You’re making food or you’re paying a serious price.
• No visitors. No matter what.
• Buy fruits that have a peel or that are EASILY washed. Raspberries are not easily washed. Apples are. Bananas are great. Buy vegetables that will be cooked. No lettuce. Nothing raw. Unless it can be EASILY washed. Lettuce cannot be easily washed. Remember, water does not remove the virus. Soap does. Soap with a good lather. Rinsing, even with warm, or hot water will not work.
• Your home is only as secure as your weakest link. If your teenage son is popping out for a Big Mac, all of your efforts are in vain. He’s bringing it home to you. And you ain’t lovin’ it.
• BEFORE you go out, THINK about what you really need or want. Don’t do what we all do during normal times… forget something and go back for that one thing. Think about EVERYTHING you’ll need. Batteries, toothbrushes? A favorite shampoo? Some special ingredient for baking? Candles? Matches? Lighters? You don’t need to hoard everything for doomsday, but give serious thought to what you require.
• When you shop (rarely, remember), don’t dawdle. Don’t wander around, hang out. Have a list, buy the items, get out. Don’t decide what you’ll need when you get there. Get in, get it quick, then GTFO.
• Buy some things that are indulgent or make you happy. But understand, you should now be brutally frugal. Try to find cheap alternatives to the things you generally crave. You like doughnuts or cake from the bakery? Can you make it yourself? Video games? Now is the time to play your old titles again, not buy new ones. Try to be comfortable with your creature comforts, but find the cheapest way to do it.
• If you go out for exercise, stay FAR away from people. Not just 10 feet or 20 feet. 100 feet. 200 feet. Do not go near people at all. This is not hard really. We still have phones and Facetime. You can find ways to socialize without being face-to-face. We already did this before the virus anyway.
• Simplify your home as much as possible. Clutter makes things chaotic, stressful, harder to clean. It gives you less space and makes you feel imprisoned. This is a great time to organize your home. Have less. Don’t bother bringing donations to places like Goodwill or Salvation Army though. I guarantee they’ll just send it to the landfill. Even before the virus, those donation places would throw things away by default rather than clean them. If you bring them there for donation, it’s like throwing them in a dumpster. Put the things you don’t want into storage neatly and give it away months from now when this (hopefully) has died down.
• Now is the time to reduce. To get your excesses and indulgences in order. You like to grab eight handfuls of TP to wipe your ass? Now, you’re using a couple of squares. Only what is required. Never finish leftovers because it’s not appetizing? Start.
• Even after you’ve sterilized your groceries, assume they are still contaminated. For example, if you wiped off the bag of chips, you should still assume it’s contaminated. Empty the chips into a clean bowl, put the bag away, wash your hands, then eat the chips from the bowl. Yes, this is obnoxious and nobody likes this, but it’s an extra layer of safety.
• In China, I’m in an apartment, so there’s only one way into my home. If you have a house with multiple entrances, I’d recommend picking one and making that the ONLY way in and out. Lock the others and insist those in your household only use the one entry point. Makes it easier to apply a system.
• When you select items at the store, pick ones that are in the back or high up. This means they’ll likely have been kept away from kids or people coughing on the merchandise. Grab something at the top and away from easy reach.
• Last thing… DON’T FORGET… the virus is just a machine. It’s not a demon. It’s not a ghost. It’s not a vengeful villain. It just follows its path. It also doesn’t care about your efforts or intentions. You don’t get credit for trying really hard or “doing your best.” You only get rewarded for efficacy.

Leptonaut1 week ago [27th March 20 — 11:44:36 am]

Full disclosure, ladies and gentlemen, I’m not a healthcare professional. I’m a layperson who has gathered what I think is the best information, but I’m not an expert. Stay safe.

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Stay safe everyone!
Lisa