A question many people are asking themselves during the pandemic is should they be ordering takeout. Is it worth ordering food to keep your favorite restaurants in business, or is the risk too high? For now, it’s both safe and ethical — as long as you take precautions.
Can You Contract the Virus from Takeout Food?
There’s no evidence to show that the coronavirus can survive on food or even on packaging. This means that even if a chef is infected, eating takeout should not put you at risk. If you want to be extra safe, only order cooked food, as heat is known to kill viruses. However, even cold food is safe when it is handled correctly — i.e., no one sneezes or coughs on the food.
How to Practice Social Distancing
There is a risk that you could contract the virus from the delivery person. However, if you purchase through a food delivery service, you should be able to receive your food through a contactless drop-off. For instance, most companies are giving customers the option to have food left at their doors.
If the restaurant itself is handling the delivery, you can likely make a request to keep the drop-off contactless. For instance, if you order online there is often a field where you can leave delivery instructions. Use this field to specify where you want the food left — restaurants are used to receiving such requests by now.
