Dr. Sunil Joshi of Family Allergy and Asthma Consultants, recommends the following when bringing in outside food to your home:
- Wash your hands.
- Order hot foods when possible. The warmer the food, the less likely any virus is to survive.
- Warm up the food once you receive it.
- Take the food out of the container, and put it on to your own plate.
- Use your own silverware.
It should be noted that the Food and Drug Administration says there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with the spread of COVID-19:
“Currently there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. CDC notes that in general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from food products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient, refrigerated, or frozen temperatures. It is more likely that a person will be exposed by person-to-person transmission involving close contact with someone who is ill or shedding the virus.”