That’s okay @deb922, it’s always hard to know how succinct to be!
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I am reading that surface infection is very low, but I am still dubious about take out food - what if food preparer didn’t wear a mask and sneeze or touches eyes/nose/mouth then touches food/containers. I do take out every once in a while, and I think about it every time.
I think of that too…but if you wash your hands after handling the packaging you should be ok. If the food has covid on it, you can’t get covid by ingesting it so that worries me less.
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I have friends who reheat all takeout and delivered food, but I’m not sure I’d like the taste.
The best take out I’ve had came from a fancy restaurant which had a limited menu and they packed everything with reheating instructions. They didn’t try to keep it hot.
When we do take out we have a big spray bottle of lab grade ethanol that my husband sprays on the packaging and/or we dump it into our own serving dishes. Some gets reheated anyway because by the time it gets home it’s not as warm as like. Many things reheat fine in the microwave (Indian food) others are better off in a 400 degree oven (bread, pizza). There’s no change in flavor, but can be in texture if you overdo it.
I’m not worried at all about take out. There’s very little transmission from surfaces. We just make sure we spend very little time inside - none if they are willing to bring it outside to us as most are. Waiting indoors puts people at risk the same as anywhere else indoors. Covid is mostly transmissible by air.
That said, if we go somewhere take out or drive thru and see someone not properly masked we won’t go there a second time. There are plenty of options where people are trying to be safe.
Being from PA we’ve also crossed places permanently off our list to go to when they opted to remain open indoors against the law. One of them we went to fairly regularly, but such is life. We see their true colors now (they also had FB posts). We know others who went there and coincidentally came down with Covid later. Our local numbers skyrocketed afterward including some deaths.
We can find new favorites. How companies and places handle Covid is definitely shaping our spending - from dropping Krogers to restaurants to stores and more.
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Why do you say “If the food has covid on it, you can’t get covid by ingesting it so that worries me less”
From the CDC: " Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that handling food or consuming food is associated with COVID-19.
Coronaviruses, like the one that causes COVID-19, are thought to spread mostly person-to-person through respiratory droplets when someone coughs, sneezes, or talks. It is possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object, including food or food packaging, that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. However, this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
After shopping, handling food packages, or before preparing or eating food, it is important to always wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. "
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To add to the above CDC post…if you eat food with covid virus on it, it will be quickly killed by stomach acid. It has to get into your respiratory tract to infect you.
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I didn’t know that.
I can’t find anything good on the CDC site about eating food with covid virus on it, but this article addresses it:
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@deb922, I have had a similar experience with my stylist, who I’ve been going to for over 30 years (he was 19 when he started cutting my hair!). His salon was destroyed in a tornado right before COVID hit, so he had to rent a chair in another salon. He has been really hurt by everything that is happening. He is hopeful his salon will be re-built soon, but I had to tell him that until that time, I wasn’t coming back. I feel so bad, because he tries so hard to make it safe. He corrects others not wearing masks, but they pretty much blow him off. He has two daughters to support, so I know this is hurting him big time-he has lost a lot of customers due to the salon being destroyed and now by COVID.
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That’s very sad. I feel terrible that your stylist has been put in that position by the others in the salon. And the terrible luck with the fire.
It was actually worse than a fire-it was a bad tornado that hit Dallas!
Sorry, I see that now. I remember that horrible tornado.
When I reply, I can’t seem to view the message I’m responding to. Sometimes I get things mixed up.
COVID and then a natural disaster. Terrible year. Sigh
My daughter (who lives in NY) came up with positive PCR test this week. She is very mildly symptomatic - she described her symptoms as feeling like the “slightest cold ever”, though it is possible that she is minimizing symptoms to prevent her parents from going nuts. But she got tested routinely in anticipation of a planned outing over President’s Day Weekend. Her husband’s test came back negative and she doesn’t have a clue as to where or how she was exposed.
I will admit that this is causing all sorts of cognitive dissonance for my maternal instincts.
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I hope your D is okay, @calmom .
I feel like I am in the Twilight Zone sometimes. Even people I know who took the virus seriously seem to be “over it.” My SIL has never taken it seriously, but H’s cousin did. We just found out that SIL and her H will be spending the weekend with my H’s cousin & her H this weekend, in the cousin’s beach house. (I know for a fact SIL has not done a quarantine in anticipation of the get together.) I believe that the spread would be worse if more people let their guard down, and I keep telling myself that I am contributing to society in a positive way by doing my part to reduce spread. But I am feeling a bit put upon. I guess it’s a test … do I walk the walk? Yes, I will continue to do so. But I confess to getting testy about it. Do not expect me to be happy for you if you act like things are back to normal.
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Well, my daughter has been very careful – she is thinking that the only point of exposure was a dental visit almost 2 weeks ago. Trigger more maternal guilt, because I remember encouraging her to go to the dentist & telling her all would be fine. (I’ve had multiple dental visits during the pandemic, because cracked a tooth & needed an extraction – but I guess we can’t all be so lucky).
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My D, a Senior at Purdue, woke up feeling not well last Thursday. Following protocol, she had an hour to get packed and was picked up by the fire department to go to the quarantine/isolation housing Purdue has set aside (900 spots, 100 currently used, nice graduate student apartments).
Her instant test was negative and her PCR test came back negative Saturday, so they released her Sunday. Fortunately, all her Thurs/Fri classes were remote, so it didn’t impact here that much - other than the normal impact of being sick and the day or two worrying about the test results.
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@calmom: Oh, gosh - I hope that you didn’t take my post to mean I was saying your D wasn’t careful. I didn’t mean that at all. Actually, it sounds like what happened to your D is what worries me … the people who are careful may well end up getting sick if others aren’t careful. We do have to be around others, which is why it’s good to remember that what people choose to do themselves actually can affect others. (And I had a cracked tooth/extraction two years ago … there is NO putting that off!)
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