Brendan Burgess
Founder
- Messages
- 52,214
Some Irish group has published these
Safe shopping guidelines in full
Before shopping
To protect yourself and others, try to reduce the
frequency of your shopping trips, because you will
put yourself at a greater risk than if you were to stay
at home.
Ask yourself the following:
Am I well enough to go shopping? If you are feeling ill,
you must not go out
Am I in the group that requires shielding? If yes, then
again you must not go out
Do I need to shop today?
Could I manage without certain items and make do?
For example, could I bake my own bread?
Am I potentially vulnerable, and if so, could I ask
someone else to shop for me?
Can I go to quieter local shops or arrange with local
shops for collection or deliveries?
Could I shop online?
If possible, avoid taking your children to the shops and
try to shop at off-peak times to avoid the crowds.
Most shops now have special times for the elderly to
shop to reduce risks to them. These are usually in the
morning but check with your local store. There may also
be special arrangements for health care workers.
Make an inventory of what items you have and when
it will go out of date so you can use them in date order
and avoid wasting food and money by buying things you
don’t need.
Make a list and ensure you have enough food to last
until your next planned shop. Use your freezer to store
shorter life, perishable items such as bread and meats.
During shopping
Try to avoid peak shopping times, although it may now
be difficult to determine when these are.
Maintain a safe social distance of two metres from all
other shoppers and staff – this includes routes into and
out of the store. You may have to queue outside before
gaining access. If other shoppers are closing in on your
safe social distancing space, move away or remind them
of the requirement in a calm, friendly and polite manner.
If you need to handle a basket or trolley, ask if it has
been sanitised since last being used. If not, sanitise using
either your own sanitiser or that provided by the store.
Sanitise your hands when you enter the store, ideally with
your own sanitiser or, if available, that provided by the
store. Avoid contact with surfaces as much as possible.
Don’t delay while shopping or chat with neighbours/
friends/store staff.
If you are planning to remain at home for long periods
of time, consider buying non-perishable foods such
as canned goods or dry mixes that don’t require
refrigeration, such as ready-to-eat canned meats, fruit
and vegetables. But make sure you buy things you like
and will use!
Try to use only one hand (your non-dominant hand) to
pick up goods and place into your bag/basket/trolley.
This is to avoid contamination of your hands.
After shopping
If shopping for a vulnerable person, leave the shopping
on the doorstep, ring the bell or phone them and stand
back while they collect it.
Wash your hands immediately when you return home.
Plan how you will deal with your shopping in advance
of coming home.
Designate a cleared, disinfected area to sort out your
shopping.
Prior to stocking your fridges and cupboards, wipe
shelving with sanitiser and a paper towel, then discard.
Coronavirus can survive on hard surfaces, so wipe
the outside of all canned/hard surface pack goods
(tetra packs) with a paper towel/warm soapy water,
sanitise (following the manufacturer’s guidance).
Alternatively leave non-perishable foods in a safe place
for 72 hours.
Remove outer food packaging and discard, being careful
to limit handling of the inner packaging of items such
as yoghurts.
Page 3 of 4 CIEH, EHAI and IG
This is not a licence to panic-buy but to buy essential
items. It is best to limit shopping trips to once a week as
this reduces the risk of getting the disease or spreading
it to others.
Assess infection control measures in your local stores.
Some will be better than others. Use the store doing the
most to protect staff and customers.
Safe shopping guidelines in full
Before shopping
To protect yourself and others, try to reduce the
frequency of your shopping trips, because you will
put yourself at a greater risk than if you were to stay
at home.
Ask yourself the following:
Am I well enough to go shopping? If you are feeling ill,
you must not go out
Am I in the group that requires shielding? If yes, then
again you must not go out
Do I need to shop today?
Could I manage without certain items and make do?
For example, could I bake my own bread?
Am I potentially vulnerable, and if so, could I ask
someone else to shop for me?
Can I go to quieter local shops or arrange with local
shops for collection or deliveries?
Could I shop online?
If possible, avoid taking your children to the shops and
try to shop at off-peak times to avoid the crowds.
Most shops now have special times for the elderly to
shop to reduce risks to them. These are usually in the
morning but check with your local store. There may also
be special arrangements for health care workers.
Make an inventory of what items you have and when
it will go out of date so you can use them in date order
and avoid wasting food and money by buying things you
don’t need.
Make a list and ensure you have enough food to last
until your next planned shop. Use your freezer to store
shorter life, perishable items such as bread and meats.
During shopping
Try to avoid peak shopping times, although it may now
be difficult to determine when these are.
Maintain a safe social distance of two metres from all
other shoppers and staff – this includes routes into and
out of the store. You may have to queue outside before
gaining access. If other shoppers are closing in on your
safe social distancing space, move away or remind them
of the requirement in a calm, friendly and polite manner.
If you need to handle a basket or trolley, ask if it has
been sanitised since last being used. If not, sanitise using
either your own sanitiser or that provided by the store.
Sanitise your hands when you enter the store, ideally with
your own sanitiser or, if available, that provided by the
store. Avoid contact with surfaces as much as possible.
Don’t delay while shopping or chat with neighbours/
friends/store staff.
If you are planning to remain at home for long periods
of time, consider buying non-perishable foods such
as canned goods or dry mixes that don’t require
refrigeration, such as ready-to-eat canned meats, fruit
and vegetables. But make sure you buy things you like
and will use!
Try to use only one hand (your non-dominant hand) to
pick up goods and place into your bag/basket/trolley.
This is to avoid contamination of your hands.
After shopping
If shopping for a vulnerable person, leave the shopping
on the doorstep, ring the bell or phone them and stand
back while they collect it.
Wash your hands immediately when you return home.
Plan how you will deal with your shopping in advance
of coming home.
Designate a cleared, disinfected area to sort out your
shopping.
Prior to stocking your fridges and cupboards, wipe
shelving with sanitiser and a paper towel, then discard.
Coronavirus can survive on hard surfaces, so wipe
the outside of all canned/hard surface pack goods
(tetra packs) with a paper towel/warm soapy water,
sanitise (following the manufacturer’s guidance).
Alternatively leave non-perishable foods in a safe place
for 72 hours.
Remove outer food packaging and discard, being careful
to limit handling of the inner packaging of items such
as yoghurts.
Page 3 of 4 CIEH, EHAI and IG
This is not a licence to panic-buy but to buy essential
items. It is best to limit shopping trips to once a week as
this reduces the risk of getting the disease or spreading
it to others.
Assess infection control measures in your local stores.
Some will be better than others. Use the store doing the
most to protect staff and customers.
