With a country-wide lockdown in place, dining in restaurants or eateries is no longer an option. But not everyone has the provisions or skill of cooking at home. The gaping hole has been filled by takeout eateries and food delivering companies.
Now the question arises whether involving a number of strangers in the preparation and delivery of one's food is safe considering the viral outbreak that is place.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there has been no evidence to suggest that novel coronavirus can spread through food or food service. The World Health Organization (WHO) says "the likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package" is also low.
Still, anyone who requires food delivery can practice the following preventive measures.
What are the steps taken by food delivery apps
Food delivery platforms such as Zomato have launched no-contact delivery, wherein the delivery person would leave the food package outside your door on a clean surface. They will send you a picture of the placed order, which you can pick up at your leisure.
Another popular app in India is Swiggy. They have listed the restaurants that undergo daily temperature checks of all employees alongside no-contact delivery.
Order from trusted eateries
Now is not the time for experimenting. Opt for your favourite, trusted restaurants to calm your safety concerns. Do not order from a place that had below standard food or resulted in you being sick before. Big restaurants would also have a set of guidelines up on their website, showcasing the measures they have taken to ensure cleanliness during the viral pandemic.
Direct contact with the restaurants
Food delivery apps would not only take a commission off every order but also serve as a third party. So, if any restaurant offers telephonic or online order placement, there is no need to involve an app. If the restaurant only offers pick up feature, then try and avoid going out at the peak hours.
Maintain hygiene
Although the chance of transmission is quite low, remove the packaging as soon as it arrives as a necessary precaution. Keep the leftovers in a separate utensil, do not keep the plastic container the food came in. One should always remember to wash their hands, before and after eating the food, with soap for at least 20 seconds.
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