Coronavirus or better known as COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic disease. No one was prepared for it, and the existing stores were not enough. Till now we have not found any vaccine for it. Researches are going on, but we have certainly lost many lives. Lockdowns all over the world are affecting each country economically. The most affected people from this lockdown are daily wagers. Their source of income is no more available. They are in crisis. In such a situation government of many countries decided to supply food supplementation to them. But are they safe? Will the food supplementation given to them be enough? Will it last for long? How to be careful during the intake.
Coronavirus is known to be associated with acute respiratory infections. The transmission of this virus is easy through droplet infection from an infected individual to a non-infected individual. Thus, it is important to maintain a proper distance from each other to avoid the infection. Proper hygiene is also considered essential during this pandemic.
In such a crisis, people are storing fruits and vegetables as much as they could that too without washing, which is not a healthy practice. And thus, in order to prevent the Corona spread, people need awareness about storing food during this pandemic condition.
Top 7 Ways of Storing Food to Fight the Virus
Following are some of the most effective ways to store food during this pandemic :
- The known viability of Corona is about 72 hours, which implies the Coronavirus is capable of transmission for about 72 hours. Thus, the groceries brought by you may have chances of contamination and storing them in the refrigerator as soon as you get back home is not considered as a healthy practice during this pandemic. Therefore, it is important to keep the purchased groceries aside for at least 72 hrs as the virus could survive on many surfaces at 72 hours when kept at room temperature.
- When it comes to fruits and vegetables. The apt fruits and vegetables during this pandemic will be the one with the peel because they can be easily washed off and peeled before use.
- The utensils used for storing these should also be clean and hygienic. It is important to wash them with detergents and rinse thoroughly. The soapy water should stay in contact with the utensil for at least 20 seconds.
- Storing milk packets should also be done in the same way. It is better to purchase packet milk as there are fewer chances of contamination. But the washing of these milk packets is also important.
- When it comes to packed groceries, the same could be done. It is better to purchase sealed packet groceries. After purchasing and getting then home it is advised to keep them aside for 72 hours or if required, wiping them with soapy water first then later with rinsing the packets with clean water or bleaching powder solution is required.
- It is better to avoid non-veg meals during this pandemic but if used, it requires more caution. Meat, chicken and other stuff which cannot be easily washed with soap and water require thoroughly rinsing of plenty of water with immediate cooking of the food. It should be cooked well and stored only after cooking. The utensil used to store this food need to be washed thoroughly with soap and water later on.
- The shopping bag or the polythene bag you carry while shopping the groceries also needs to be washed in order to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus whereas it is recommended to dispose of the paper bags or cardboard cartons which cannot be washed soon after the removal of groceries from them.
- According to FDA guidelines, it is essential to rinse the vegetables and fruits in cold water and brush them if required Using soap for these is not advised as they are till now not found to be carriers of the Coronavirus but it is better to stay safe and preventive. Therefore, we should rinse them with mild soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- It is better to avoid cold food like cold drinks and ice cream in this pandemic. As these make us more vulnerable to the Coronavirus.
Conclusion
Fighting against the virus requires our strength, strength to stay strong. If we follow the above-mentioned methods to store food effectively we can fight back the crisis and defect the coronavirus. Such methods will allow the least spread of Corona cutting off one way of transmission of Corona.
