As a food virologist, I hear a lot of questions from people about the coronavirus risks in grocery stores and how to stay safe while shopping for food amid the pandemic.
What you touch on the grocery shelves is less of a concern than who breathes on you and other surfaces you might come in contact within a store.
In these experiments, the level of infectious virus—virus capable of causing disease—decreased even after a few hours, indicating that the virus does not survive well on these surfaces.
Washing your hands frequently, using soap and water and drying with a clean towel, is really the best defense for protecting yourself from this virus and many other infectious diseases that might be on a surface or package.
Many grocery stores have stopped allowing the use of reusable bags because of the potential risks to their workers.
