During New York State's shelter-in-place plan, it's safest to order food delivery or curbside service to minimize your potential exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19). Your grocers will bring the items you order to your car or home to help you eliminate physical contact with others. The following guide explains why it’s crucial to stay home during the pandemic and how to protect your household from possible exposure.  

Why You Should Avoid Public Places 

COVID-19 is mainly spread through person-to-person contact. Evidence thus far shows it’s more contagious than other viruses. Because COVID-19 is a novel virus, immune systems have trouble recognizing the pathogen and fighting it. People are more likely to get sick from COVID-19 than the common flu, which they have probably already built up an immune response to.

COVID-19 is also unique because up to 25% of people with the infection don’t develop symptoms. Avoiding people who seem sick won’t necessarily protect you against asymptotic carriers. Furthermore, the incubation period for COVID-19 lasts for up to two weeks. That means someone can contract the illness and become contagious but not show any symptoms for 14 days. Some people experience only mild symptoms that can be confused with seasonal allergies. They might not realize they are affected, and continue to go outside.  

How to Get Groceries Safely 

COVID-19 isn’t categorized as a food-borne illness. However, the virus can spread if you touch a contaminated surface and then touch your mouth, nose, or eyes. 

To protect yourself while still getting food delivery, use the following tips:  

• Buy produce with a longer shelf life, like apples, carrots, potatoes, squash, peppers, oranges, and citrus fruits.  

• Wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly, but don’t use cleaning agents like bleach, as these could be dangerous to ingest.  

• Freeze produce to use at a later date.

• Don’t “panic-buy” — two weeks’ worth of groceries is sufficient. Hoarding resources could mean your neighbors will go without. 

• Some studies have shown that the virus can live on paper and plastic surfaces for 24 hours and three days, respectively. To be safe, throw out disposable bags or packaging immediately. 

• Clean your counter surfaces after putting groceries away and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. 

JJ International Delicatessen in Port Jervis, NY, provides food delivery and curbside service to protect your health — and that of their employees. To place an order, call the store at (845) 858-1142 and tell the cashier what time you plan to arrive and whether you'll pay by cash or credit. After inputting your order, the cashier will call you back to confirm everything is in stock. They'll then process the order for pickup or delivery. The result is easy, breezy, delicious, and safe. To learn more about no-contact food delivery, visit their website or follow them on Facebook. As always, this deli is proud to serve the Orange County community with Kosher meats, cheese, deli sandwiches, European food, and groceries. They appreciate your support for local, family-owned businesses!