How Safe is Ordering Delivery During the Coronavirus?

As the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the United States, several states and major cities have ordered all bars and restaurants to shut down except for takeout and delivery. In addition, some of the QSR and fast casual segment’s biggest chains are following suit. Still, many are left wondering if off-premise food ordering is safe and ethical.

The general consensus is that delivery is an overall safe option. There is currently no evidence of food being associated with COVID-19 transmission, according to both the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), although Vox reports that there’s “growing evidence of fecal to oral transmission, meaning you can ingest the virus shed in feces, through inadequate hand washing or contaminated food and water.”

When it comes to the question of delivery drivers, the situation is a little more complicated. On one hand, working means higher exposure to customers who may be sick, but at the same time, workers rely on those delivery orders to pay their bills and support their families. In these cases, customers not ordering food could end up hurting delivery workers more, not to mention the restaurants that prepare the meals. 

When choosing delivery, check in-house options before going through third-party apps. If a restaurant doesn't have in-house delivery options, consider the way third-party platforms are handling the pandemic before choosing one. For example, Postmates launched a relief fund to support medical checkups and to cover two weeks of paid sick leave for couriers who test positive for COVID-19. Uber Eats and Doordash have also stated they would provide up to two weeks of paid sick leave for diagnosed couriers.

Postmates also rolled out a non-contact delivery option to make the entire process safer for everyone involved. Other third-party apps are encouraging customers to type in a note specifying drop-off requests when placing an order to avoid unnecessary contact.

Obviously, it is a complicated time with no clear-cut answer, but there are certainly ways to make the take-out process safer for everyone. 

For more info, read the full article at EATER.