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The primary mode of transmission is through droplets from coughing and sneezing. Minimizing the amount of time you spend around other people is by far the most effective way to avoid getting the virus. If you put away the delivered items, wash your hands, and then don't return to the kitchen for a few hours, then it doesn't matter if the delivery person infected your items. The virus can't last all that long outside the human body.

However, from a public health perspective you should only use delivery services if you're in an at-risk group. Otherwise you're just transferring your risk onto another person and also doubling the number of people who could be infected by this trip to the store (assuming you live alone).

I've seen many reports of the virus lasting many days on plastic/hard surfaces. I imagine that's under lab conditions but still worth being aware of.

Fair points. Some folks are saying just wipe all your items down before storing, seems like a fine solution. I don’t know if I’d trust how long the virus survives. We might not really know yet, I’ve seen varying reports on that.

> I’d rather be the one to lay hands on all my own products.

Someone had to stock the shelves that morning.

I've been keeping my groceries in the bag, sticking the entire thing in the refrigerator, and then not touching it for at least 24 hours.

The only thing delivery/curbside pickup changes is reducing the time spent breathing in close proximity to other people.

Other corona viruses are said to survive for two years in the freezer.

> I've been keeping my groceries in the bag, sticking the entire thing in the refrigerator, and then not touching it for at least 24 hours.

Unfortunately, this won't do anything to kill/remove the virus, and may potentially make it last longer. You should be washing your items with soap or spraying them with isopropyl alcohol.

Yes it will, the virus doesn't survive long outside the body, it may not be the best way as it can survive more than 24 hours in some surfaces, but it is way better than nothing. Note that spraying them with alcohol is also recommended.

From the research I've read, it seems that it can survive 2-3 days on plastic, and potentially a lot less on other surfaces. The cold air in the refrigerator probably does extend its lifespan a bit. I normally wash produce anyway, so it's more of an additional precautionary measure than a single line of defense.

How do you trust the employee who restocked the shelves with all the groceries or filled the stands with fruits?

The point is you’re eliminating a completely unnecessary vector for getting infected. The risk of getting infected from within the grocery is assumed in both scenarios.

I think the flip is more the reason to do delivery/curbside. Symptoms aren't always present so you going into the store could be exposing many people to infection.

Delivery isolates. Yes your driver and handler could be infected, but so could you.

That’s true, but that can’t be eliminated.

It's a necessary step either way. The point is that you're going to have to clean whatever you end up purchasing anyway.

> Why is grocery delivery considered a ‘safer’ option than going to the store yourself.

If we both go to the store, you can infect me and the people working in the store. If the store delivers to you, it is easier to make sure you (the customer) do not infect anyone (they can leave the goods outside, no need for close interaction).

As others mentioned, a lot of people will interact with the goods before you - but it is much more feasible for a store to train and equip a handful of people to take precautions, than to expect the public at large to do so - just a simple thing like not being able to change in a proper wardrobe before entering the store, means customers are a lot more "dangerous" than staff.

>Why would you trust an unknown group of people to take all the proper precautions? Who picked the item by hand? Who is this bringing it to your door? Are you sure they washed hands? Did they accidentally sneeze on anything? Is the vehicle sanitary?

All of these risks are already present from the stockers and checkout at the grocery store, which is why you should wash/cook everything they touch. Even if most of your items are contaminated, you can still keep yourself safe.

>I can keep as much distance from people as I want.

They can also get as close to you as they want, and one unlucky interaction can make you sick. Limiting your contact to one driver who will do what you say is safer.

Fair enough. Sanitizing every item once at your house works too. Maybe I just have an aversion to a bunch of unknown people touching all my stuff, pandemic or not.

Either way it’s a good reason to get me out of the house, which a hard to come by now days :) It’s good for my mental health. I can’t let myself just sit around being afraid of the world. This thing isn’t voodoo magic. I’m confident I can safely handle myself in public.

> Maybe I just have an aversion to a bunch of unknown people touching all my stuff, pandemic or not.

I don't know if this will help or hurt, but by the time you pick it up off the shelf it's been handled by plenty of people.

>I’d rather be the one to lay hands on all my own products.

I've seen this, and similar, opinions about grocery stores that just illustrates how detached the public is from modern food supply chains.

Do you have any idea how many hands touch your food before it gets on your plate? From the fields (where works probably urinate while on the job) to the shelves, it passes through probably 10s if not 100s of hands.

All good points, but these cautions apply before you encounter and touch your purchases as well. In either case, you're cleaning and disinfecting your potentially contaminated purchases inside your home, whether or not someone touched them before or after you purchased them.

I don't think you're eliminating a vector by going out yourself. Not significantly, if at all.

Indeed, someone had to touch it to stock the shelves. I guess if you wipe everything down before you put it away it is a moot point.

Maybe for me it’s just a good reason to escape the prison of my house :)

We just sanitize everything that comes into the house. Anything in a package gets wiped down with Clorox wipes d anything else gets washed with soapy water. Bags to into the garbage the kitchen gets Wiped down with Clorox wipes once it’s all put away. It slows things down but it’s the only safe way I can think of to make sure you aren’t bringing anything home from the store. That goes for delivery or self shopping; you have no idea who or how many people touched the products you bought and are bringing home, so better be safe then leave it up to guess work.