Grocery shopping tips to minimize risks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic

We hope you all are doing your best to stay safe during this worldwide emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo credit: Consumer Reports (fair use)

Here are some tips on how to minimize the risks to you, your family, and those you encounter when buying groceries and other items from the grocery store.

How to protect yourself from Coronavirus when grocery shopping


Stay safe!

CDC to hold online COVID-19 webinar on Wednesday, March 18

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will hold an informational webinar tomorrow at 1 p.m. EST (10 a.m. PDT).

Experts from CDC will discuss the current state of the pandemic, what CDC is doing to respond, and how partners, organizations, and the public can help.

The webinar may be viewed on Facebook at the CDC's Emergency Preparedness and Response page.

Closed captioning for the hearing impaired will be available.

Governor Newsom calls for the shutdown of bars, wineries, brewpubs, and the home isolation of seniors and others

California's Governor Gavin Newsom today called for additional measures to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic and protect the health and safety of Californians.

In a press conference this afternoon (see video link below), the Governor called for the closure of all bars, wineries, and brew pubs, referring to them as non-essential services. In addition, he asked that all those 65 and over self-isolate in their homes, as well as those with pre-existing conditions.

The Governor also said that at this time, he is not calling for the closure of restaurants, however, he directed that they reduce their capacity in half and implement social distancing measures for their patrons.

It was unclear as to whether the Governor's actions were an official order or proclamation or not. In his comments, he briefly referred to potential enforcement actions, but, he said, as with previously issued guidance, the private sector for the most part has responded positively to that guidance. He expects the same to happen now.

What does California's COVID-19 emergency mean for entertainment venues?

As the spread of the coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, continues across the country, California's Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state emergency on March 4, 2020. The declaration specified measures that are to be taken to protect public health, prevent price gouging, offer more assistance to local governments, and allow health care workers to come from outside the state.

Photo © Frank J. Maccioli

The official proclamation may be seen here: Proclamation of a State of Emergency

Additionally, the California Department of Public Health (CPDH) has developed a website for the latest COVID-19 updates and information.

Included on that website are a series of Guidance Documents, including among others, recommendations for how entertainment venues should address the developing pandemic to minimize the health risks to their performers, employees, and patrons. Those recommendations may be found here:

CDPH Guidance for the Prevention of COVID-19 TransmissionIn Entertainment Venues, March 13, 2020

Many of California Environmental News' friends and supporters are members of the entertainment industry - musicians, actors, producers, venue owners. Most, if not all of them, have been impacted by this pandemic and are closely following the above procedures, some of which are shown below:

• Keep attendance under 250 persons per individual theater and ensure that social distancing of six feet per person for non-family members is maintained and make clear that family members can sit together, stand in line together etc. 
• Suspend reserved seating to allow patrons to self-separate 
• Reduce capacity to 50-60% per showing 
• Increase frequency of cleaning and sanitizing per CDC Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection guidance on high contact areas/hard surfaces including snack counters, door handles/hinges, etc. 
• Increase cleaning and sanitizing of restrooms 
• Sanitize seats and tray tables between showings 
• Train employees on best hygiene practices including washing their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds 
• Increased spacing of show times to allow for more thorough cleaning of individual theaters 
• Have ushers monitor social distancing practices in theaters and encourage additional distance between guests as appropriate 
• Limiting the number of people in lines 
• Additional opportunities throughout the theater for persons to reduce the spread of the virus through hand washing or sanitizing stations 
• Eliminate events/marketing that target individuals that CDPH has identified as being at higher risk for COVID-19.

As a prudent measure for your own protection, be sure to contact any venue you may be attending to ensure that they are following the recommended procedures and to determine what other measures they may be doing to protect your health, the health of their employees, and the general public.

Be safe out there! We are all in this together!