Coronavirus tips: 15 practical ways to stay safe when you go out in public

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO website.

Leaving the house to run errands and get fresh air are essential tasks that help keep you healthy and sane, but they also set you on a collision course with other people outside your household — and a gathering of germs. That’s why a growing number of states and grocery stores are tightening measures to require wearing homemade face masks and social distancing inside stores. 

But there are more precautions to take, too, as the US surpasses 740,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Since the highly contagious new strain of coronavirus can be passed along on by those who appear asymptomatic, it’s crucial to stay alert.

Here are smart, sound tips to follow when you do need to leave the house to run essential errands. And here’s the current understanding of coronavirus when it comes to food delivery and mail, such as Amazon packages.

Read more: Wine, beer, alcohol delivery: How to get alcoholic beverages delivered to your door

Wear a face mask in public places can be a smart idea

The CDC reversed its position on who should and shouldn’t wear face masks in public. Prior to its latest announcement, the CDC and other health experts maintained that there was no need for the general public to wear a face covering when they left the house. 

However, the rapid spread of COVID-19 has caused the US authority on infectious disease to change course. The institute now recommends that people who reside in areas with high transmission rates, and those who are going to places where they can’t maintain social distancing (that is, six feet of space between you another person who isn’t a household member), drape their nose and mouth with cloth or another type of breathable fabric, including face masks you make at home or buy. 

The CDC considers this a voluntary health measure, and a recommendation, though some counties and cities are making the order mandatory — typically when you gather somewhere around other people, like in a store, and not while you’re alone in your car, or taking a walk where keeping six feet from others is easy to do. At the very least, it’s a good idea to keep a face covering on hand if for no other reason than to avoid a strangers’ side eye or lecture at the store. 

Here’s what you need to know about homemade and other nonmedical face masks and coronavirus prevention.

Don’t make shopping trips a source of entertainment

The point of shelter in place and stay at home efforts is to keep you from transmitting the virus to other or acquiring it yourself. Yes, that can be boring, but the list of COVID-19 symptoms is long and frightening for people who have it (like my cousin), even if they do recover, which can take weeks. 

The bottom line: You don’t want this, and you want to limit your exposure to others. So shop swiftly and efficiently. Now’s the time to get what you want and get out, not to browse aisles as a way to pass the time. Entertain yourself these other ways instead. 

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Enough with the fingertips: Use your knees, feet, elbows and knuckles instead

If you’re still pressing buttons for walk signs with your fingertips, stop. Any time you have to open a door, push a button, pull a lever or digitally sign for something, use a different body part instead. You have plenty.

For example, I’ll often tap out a PIN code or make a selection on a digital screen with my knuckle instead of the pad of my finger. I’ll push open a door with my shoulder, hip or foot instead of my hands.

You can usually flip on a light switch or sink faucet with your elbow or wrist, and you can wrap the sleeve of your sweater or jacket around the handle of any doors you have to physically pull open. It’s easy enough to toss your clothing into the wash later rather than expose your skin now, especially if the chances you’ll use your hands to touch food items or your face is high.

Distance, distance, distance

Social distancing can mean anything from hunkering down at home and refraining from seeing outside friends and family in person to keeping a boundary between you and others when you do go out. The practice of keeping 6 feet away from those outside your home group extends to waiting in line at the grocery store, going on walks (you can momentarily walk in the bike lane if you’re careful about looking out for street traffic) and picking up food to go.

If you need to keep more distance between you and someone else while on a walk or when reaching for an item at the store, take a step back and wait or politely ask the person to give you more clearance (“Oh, I’m trying to keep my distance from everyone.”)

Look for the automatic option

If the doors to whichever building you’re entering aren’t already propped open or have automatic sensors, look around before you pull a handle. Most modern buildings have accessibility buttons to open doors for people with mobility concerns. You can easily touch this with your forearm, hip or foot (some are pretty low down) and wait the few seconds for the doors to open. 

Consider buying an automatic soap dispenser for home so you don’t have to worry about transferring germs to the pump.

Watch where you put your phone

While we’ve gotten the go ahead to use disinfecting wipes on phones, another smart idea is to avoid placing your device on iffy surfaces to begin with. Do you really need to put your phone down, or can you just stash it in a coat pocket or purse? The less you can expose your phone to shared surfaces, the less you need to worry about them in the first place.

If you do put your phone down on a shared surface, say if you’re paying for takeout, lay down a napkin and set your phone on that. It’ll save you having to disinfect your device quite so often.

Set aside your reusable tote bags

Increasingly, store policy excludes you from bringing outside tote bags and other bags into grocery stores. If you want to lessen your environmental impact, find ways to reuse the store’s fresh bags at home.

The stores I shop at continue to make baskets and carts available, and only some offer sanitary wipes. Others have assigned gloved staff to wipe down carts and baskets for you with disinfectant, before you shop. Others still are spraying your hands with disinfectant before you enter a shop.

Regardless, it’s a good idea to thoroughly wash your hands before you leave home to protect others, bring your own sanitary wipes if you have them and the store doesn’t offer that option and be sure to wash your hands when you get home. Really, we can’t stress that enough.

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Don’t sort through produce with your bare hands

At a time when face masks are increasingly common in stores and shoppers will give you the side eye for rummaging through lemons, here’s a little advice: Don’t poke the bear.

When sorting through food, use a glove or stick your hand inside a fresh, store-supplied bag and use the outside like a glove to pick up and inspect the garlic and bananas you want, so as not to touch every item with your bare hands. It’ll make others feel more comfortable, and is just as likely to inspire them to follow suit.

Whatever you do, touching’s off limits

Look, if they don’t live in your household, don’t touch them. Most of us are observing this dictum by now, but on the off-chance you see a friend or family member, resist the urge to hug, tap elbows or get anywhere closer than 6 feet. Air hug if you have to. Blow a kiss (minus the actual exhalation). We have 13 clever and satisfying ways to safely greet someone that keeps you and loved ones safe.

For food and package delivery, embrace the awkward 

Wash your hands every time you get ‘home’ — seriously

Along with social distancing, washing your hands thoroughly is one of your best defenses against acquiring coronavirus. Give your hands a thorough scrub each time you get back. 20 seconds is the going recommendation, which may seem like ages, but if you wash slowly, it’s easy to do. 

I count five long seconds (one-one-thousand) of soaping each hand, in between the fingers and up to the wrists, then count another five seconds for washing each hand thoroughly to get the soap (and any dead germs) off. I often wash the soap dispenser pump and faucet handles, too.

That helps me feel safe enough to adjust my contacts, blow my nose and pick that nagging something or other out of my teeth in the comfort of my own space.

Don’t neglect your car and home

After getting back from running errands, it doesn’t hurt to wipe down your car and surfaces in your home, especially if you share it with others. Person-to-person contact is the most common vector, but viruses and bacteria do spread through objects and other forms of indirect physical contact. Here’s our guide for sanitizing your home and car.

Carry extra napkins, disinfecting wipes and facial tissue

Packing extra tissues, disinfecting wipes, wet wipes and other paper products in my purse is already part of my habit, but now I pay extra attention to how much paper I have on hand. 

Normally, I might use a spare napkin to wipe my hands after an impromptu snack (also in my bag). Today, these products could come in handy to clear away germs, or act as a barrier between you (or your phone) and a surface. For example, opening a door handle if you just saw someone cough into their hands before turning a knob.

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Stop handling cash

While it’s believed that the highest risk of acquiring coronavirus comes from person-to-person transmission, we do know that shared surfaces can harbor the virus. Play it safe by setting the cash aside for now and relying more on contactless payments.

A large number of payment terminals accept Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and credit cards with the contactless logo on them. And remember, if a digital signature is required, you can use your knuckle instead of your index finger. For a physical signature, start packing your own pen.

Banish questionable items to a long time out

Coronavirus can cling to surfaces, such as your jacket or a tabletop, for up to nine days at room temperature, studies have found. However, the CDC found that the coronavirus RNA remained in cabins about the Diamond Princess Cruise ship up to 17 days after passengers departed.

We know that a thorough cleaning with good ol’ soap and water will kill the virus’ structure, but if you’re not sure how to disinfect an item, like a dry-clean-only jacket or pair of boots, setting it aside for three or four weeks is another option. 

Read on for global coronavirus updates, how to track the virus’ spread across the globe, and how to sanitize your house.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.