Do you wear gloves when shopping?

[W2R]

Shopping?

I haven't been shopping since March 3rd. It's this thing about being almost 72 with type 2 diabetes living in a COVID-19 hotspot, KWIM? In February I filled my pantry with non-perishable food. Well, it *was* full, but now it is about half full. I also have some steaks, pork, fish, and Louisiana shrimp in the freezer but not as much as I started out with.

F did not have a stocked up pantry or freezer, and we eat different types of foods from each other so he has been grocery shopping every week or two.

He wears disposable gloves (that he happened to have at home) when he shops.

He also wears a mask that he made out of a bandana, using one of those non-sewing methods, and goggles that he dug up somewhere in amongst his stuff.

I am thinking of going shopping in two or three weeks maybe. Or maybe later, but some day. When I do, he will probably lend me some gloves and help me get the homemade mask adjusted. All of this sounds pretty unnerving to me; I have not been shopping at all since a week before Louisiana ever had any coronavirus.

 

[ABQ2015]

W2R, I don't blame you for staying home. Don't know if you are in Orleans Parish or Jefferson Parish but I noticed that the new cases and number of deaths for Orleans Parish have decreased significantly since around April 8. You were wise to not go out during the peak. Some cities are posting new cases by area code which could be helpful in avoiding hot spots but doubt New Orleans does this since I had to dig to find the parish statistics and could find only Orleans and East Baton Rouge. I hope you feel comfortable in the near future to venture out for some provisions or use a delivery or pick up service.

I have a few underlying health conditions which is why I shop just every 3 weeks. My state's peak is supposed to be about 10 days away and I had considered canceling my next shopping trip for produce and perishables expecting a large surge in new cases during that period. But the number of new cases in my county have been steady (and ridiculously small compared to New Orleans) for the last week so I may risk it.

 

[audreyh1]

Your comment could be interpreted several ways.

1) The gloves would remind you to keep your hands away from you face

2) The gloves are separating (creating a barrier between) your hands and your face

I could see #1 as useful, but hopefully nobody would rely on scenario #2

-gauss

I meant 1) and it seems very effective for me. I first used them in airports and stores before I started wearing masks.

 

[LOL!]

When I went shopping the other day I did not wear gloves mostly because I would not be wearing gloves when I used the items I bought when I got home.

Going into the store, the staff squirted my hands with hand sanitizer. They did this for all customers.

I bought almost $300 worth of groceries because I am shopping for my family only every 2 or 3 weeks. I did not self-checkout because I would have to touch things multiple times to do that.

I don't use my car except to go grocery shopping, so I expect anything I touched to "age" for at least 2 weeks before I use the car again. Nevertheless I wipe down much of what I touched in the car, though I cannot be sure I got everything.

The other members of the household don't care and bring in filthy things anyways.

 

[UnrealizedPotential]

I wear disposable gloves when shopping. The only benefit I can see for wearing them is they remind me to keep my hands away from my face. After done shopping I wash my hands. Is it a waste of time? Maybe, but it makes me feel better. I do not wear a mask.

 

[donheff]

I try to stay out of stores to the extent possible. When I do go I wear a mask because it is required and may provide some protection to others. I don't make the mistake of believing my mask protects me - I reuse them since I only have a few. I don't use gloves but I do wash my hands when I get home and disinfect container surfaces, door handles, etc. I am getting better at not touching my face but not 100%. I have successfully switched from fingertips to back of knuckles when I itch a facial scratch.

 

[Gumby]

No gloves. Nor do I wipe down my groceries.

I wear a mask in grocery stores only because it is required now. I don't believe it protects me at all. If I am infected, it might protect others a little if I'm wearing a mask when I cough or sneeze (although I should be staying home if that is the case), and I suppose it makes them feel better. I don't care if they wear a mask or not.

 

[Ready]

No gloves. Nor do I wipe down my groceries.

I wear a mask in grocery stores only because it is required now. I don't believe it protects me at all. If I am infected, it might protect others a little if I'm wearing a mask when I cough or sneeze (although I should be staying home if that is the case), and I suppose it makes them feel better. I don't care if they wear a mask or not.

People can sneeze and cough for a variety of reasons, allergies being the most obvious.

And people who have no symptoms at all can be infected with COVID and be highly contagious but unaware they are infected.

 

[gwraigty]

No gloves. Nor do I wipe down my groceries.

I wear a mask in grocery stores only because it is required now. I don't believe it protects me at all. If I am infected, it might protect others a little if I'm wearing a mask when I cough or sneeze (although I should be staying home if that is the case), and I suppose it makes them feel better. I don't care if they wear a mask or not.

+1

I carry a bandanna in my purse just in case I get to the grocery store and they're not letting in people without masks. It's not a mandate in my state. Yet.

 

[cathy63]

No gloves. Nor do I wipe down my groceries.

I wear a mask in grocery stores only because it is required now. I don't believe it protects me at all. If I am infected, it might protect others a little if I'm wearing a mask when I cough or sneeze (although I should be staying home if that is the case), and I suppose it makes them feel better. I don't care if they wear a mask or not.

This is exactly my position.

 

[cathy63]

People can sneeze and cough for a variety of reasons, allergies being the most obvious.

And people who have no symptoms at all can be infected with COVID and be highly contagious but unaware they are infected.

Sure, but an asymptomatic carrier is primarily transmitting the virus by breathing. Fabric masks don't prevent aerosolized virus from traveling through them when an infected person exhales. Worse, if other people have a false sense of security because someone is wearing a mask, and they get closer than 6 feet (which is what I've noticed happening, because it's just really hard to carry on a conversation from 6 feet away in a noisy store if you also can't see someone's lips), then wearing a mask is actually worse than not wearing one.

 

[Ready]

Sure, but an asymptomatic carrier is primarily transmitting the virus by breathing. Fabric masks don't prevent aerosolized virus from traveling through them when an infected person exhales.

Of course they do. They may not prevent 100% of the droplets from spreading, but they will certainly reduce the load. Your argument is as silly as saying there is no benefit to covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze because even your elbow can’t stop 100% of the particles from being released.

 

[Gumby]

People can sneeze and cough for a variety of reasons, allergies being the most obvious.

And people who have no symptoms at all can be infected with COVID and be highly contagious but unaware they are infected.

Just reporting what I do. Your agreement is not necessary.

 

[JustCurious]

I do not wear gloves when shopping, and I have not changed any other habits.

 

[JustCurious]

I carry a bandanna in my purse just in case I get to the grocery store and they're not letting in people without masks. It's not a mandate in my state. Yet.

New York state has ordered people to wear masks in public but Governor Cuomo publicly stated that there are no penalties for failing to wear a mask. So it's an optional order, whatever that means.

At his daily coronavirus briefing Friday, Cuomo said local law enforcement will be asked to enforce the mask requirement as the state tries to stop the spread of the virus. He acknowledged, however, that there are no penalties associated with the order, though he suggested the state could create a small fine if people don't comply.

https://www.democratandchronicle.co...if-new-york-disobeys-cuomos-order/5142897002/

It seems that there are many "orders" being issued by states and local governments that are not being enforced.

 

[Rianne]

I happily wear gloves. It keeps my hands away from my face. I don’t discard them. I’m careful when removing them in the car, and sanitize my hands immediately. I don’t throw them away - I’ll probably wash my used gloves at some point. I wash my hands when I get home, unload and put away groceries, and wash my hands.

But the car door handle. I'm now thinking when I put groceries away, making a mental note how long the boxes and food containers stay on the shelf before I use them. How long the virus lives on various surfaces. I do Clorox wipe some containers. All this mental calculating has to protect me from Alzheimer's disease.

 

[CardsFan]

Sure, but an asymptomatic carrier is primarily transmitting the virus by breathing. Fabric masks don't prevent aerosolized virus from traveling through them when an infected person exhales. Worse, if other people have a false sense of security because someone is wearing a mask, and they get closer than 6 feet (which is what I've noticed happening, because it's just really hard to carry on a conversation from 6 feet away in a noisy store if you also can't see someone's lips), then wearing a mask is actually worse than not wearing one.

Of course they do. They may not prevent 100% of the droplets from spreading, but they will certainly reduce the load. Your argument is as silly as saying there is no benefit to covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze because even your elbow can’t stop 100% of the particles from being released.

From this article: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-per...t-back-cloth-masks-limit-covid-19-experts-say

Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), who contributed to the paper along with Sundaresan Jayaraman, PhD, of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, said in his weekly CIDRAP podcast yesterday that, because aerosols likely play an important role in coronavirus transmission, cloth masks will do little, if anything, to limit spread of the disease

And from this one: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24229526

CONCLUSION:
Our findings suggest that a homemade mask should only be considered as a last resort to prevent droplet transmission from infected individuals, but it would be better than no protection.

The bottom line is that cloth masks provide SOME protection to others, from YOU. They provide little to no protection to you from OTHERS.

 

[Alan]

I do wear gloves when shopping but not a mask. The UK is still not either recommending or mandating the use of masks. The CMO was again asked about this at yesterday's daily briefing. He said they will continue to review the science but is not convinced that masks help, and may even hinder if they provide a false sense of security or are not handled properly.

When it is recommended or mandated then I will wear a mask. When shopping I wear gloves and I am careful not to touch anything I am not going to buy. I did a weekly shop yesterday and while there were some shoppers wearing masks there were very few, and none of the staff were wearing masks.

 

[SheitlQueen]

No mask or gloves. I use hand sanitizer before I enter the store, and then I wash them and use sanitizer when I leave the store.

 

[tmm99]

Although I rarely go inside any stores, when I do, I wear gloves as well as a mask (I double mask) and swim goggles. I don't take my purse. I put one credit card in my pocket and I put my car key in a plastic bag. If I take my cell phone with me, I wrap it with saran wrap so the cleaning is easy.

When I go inside the store, I wipe down the handle of the shopping cart with their hand sanitizer. When I'm ready to leave the store, I clean my gloves with the store hand sanitizer again after dropping off the shopping cart. When I get to my car, I open the trunk of my car and drop off my groceries. If hand sanitizers are not available at the store, I use my own hand sanitizer I have in the trunk to clean my gloves as well as the plastic my car key is in and the handle of the trunk. I take off and leave the used gloves in a box in the trunk of my car.

When I get home, I take the outer layer of my clothes off at the front door (inside the house!), put them in a bag, and they go into the washer. I then go to the bathroom to take a shower to wash my face, hair, etc.

As for groceries, I wipe down perishables in packages with Lysol wipes and place them in the safe zone and then put them in the fridge once they're all done, and wash most of the produce in soapy water (ex. kale, asparagus, apples, oranges). Things like bags of potatoes, jarred items, etc stay in the basement for a few days to quarantine.

 

[Rianne]

The bottom line is that cloth masks provide SOME protection to others, from YOU. They provide little to no protection to you from OTHERS.

So, if everyone wore a cloth mask we might be safer, like the Czech Republic. They are mandated (everyone) to wear a mask and are opening some shops. You protect me, I protect you.

 

[Rianne]

Follow up: That does not answer the question about gloves. If you're wearing a cloth mask, you can still spit (sorry) on surfaces and pass the virus through those droplets. So you are not protected regarding surface contamination.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Mask required in our state. I wear a home-sewn mask with a Hepa filter insert made from a vacuum cleaner bag, which I also constructed. The mask is washable in hot water and the Hepa filter is easily sanitized with isopropyl alcohol. I iron the mask too, which at > 350 degrees, will inactivate the virus. I put cleaned masks and filters in a quart plastic bag using tongs, one bag for each of us. Protects others, may protect me. No gloves. I sanitize the steering wheel, door handles, knobs and touch screen on the car.

I’ve been to the store since the mask order. Most grocery clerks do not have masks.

Although the virus particles are small, most particles will be contained in droplets, so a mask should be at least somewhat effective during limited contact.

I have nitrile gloves. I use them when chopping garlic or jalapeño peppers, or handling harsh chemicals. Not for shopping.

 

[Rianne]

Mask required in our state. I wear a home-sewn mask with a Hepa filter insert made from a vacuum cleaner bag, which I also constructed. The mask is washable in hot water and the Hepa filter is easily sanitized with isopropyl alcohol. I iron the mask too, which at > 350 degrees, will inactivate the virus. I put cleaned masks and filters in a quart plastic bag using tongs, one bag for each of us. Protects others, may protect me.

Are you selling these on Ebay? I was thinking of vacuum cleaner Hepa filters the other day. Do you enclose the Hepa filter within layers of cloth? Great idea but I don't sew.

 

[swakyaby]

I wear a mask but don’t wear gloves when grocery shopping. I wash my hands at home, use the hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipe on the cart handle when I enter, and use a disinfectant wipe when I enter my car.

I’m used to wearing mask and disposable gloves when I was at work, because I handled some truly contaminated liquids that you would not want on your hands. But in the grocery stores, using hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipes is satisfactory for me in addition to soap and water upon arriving home. The mask I wear is an N95.