Before you leave home
Considerations unseen before the epidemic had begun include the question of staying or going. As many businesses are adapting to the changing reality, getting your groceries may be possible with a safe home delivery, at little or no additional cost. Order and local pickup may also be an option with some retailers.
Check your store's website for updates. With the situation changing dynamically, many stores are introducing changes to their operation on a weekly basis. These may include new opening hours, usually shorter to enable proper cleaning and restocking on key products. Designated hours for seniors may apply, usually before regular opening. Stores are also introducing customer limits to ensure safe distances between shoppers. Isles may also be reordered to be one-way only, changing navigation.
Who should go
Shopping tends to be a family activity, but social distancing rules and store capacity limits mean that taking kids along is strongly discouraged. While you aren't more likely to infect one another at a store than at home, potentially contaminated surfaces are all around and keeping track of every move is hard enough on your own, let alone with kids running around.
One person should do the shopping and... it might not be you. If you have symptoms or suspect to have been in contact with someone infected, it's best to ask a friend and stay home. Remember, up to a third of all COVID-19 carriers are asymptomatic. And if you do develop symptoms, it may take days before they appear and you may be spreading it around by then. Also, if you're immunocompromised, it's best to avoid public spaces when possible.
