Safe Delivery Practices for Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Working as a grocery or food delivery driver during the COVID-19 pandemic can be a very scary proposition. But you are performing an essential function by ensuring the supply of food continues to get to the people who need it most. So, how can you protect yourself?

Knowing the Dangers

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported no incidents of transmission stemming from food that has been delivered, it’s important to remember that interaction with individuals can pose a risk for exposure. Additionally, the virus can live on surfaces for up to 72 hours, meaning that if anyone within the supply chain for delivery materials or involved in the food preparation is infected, the virus may be present on the delivery.

Sanitary Hands in All Circumstances

For these reasons, it’s crucial to adopt proper safety precautions when delivering food or groceries. This means wearing gloves or washing your hands prior to and after handling any packages or food products. Hands should also be washed before and after every delivery, especially if you have touched the customer’s door or have rung a doorbell to alert them. To provide maximum protection, it may be advisable to keep hand sanitizer in your vehicle for use after coming into contact with any objects during the delivery. Also, in between hand-cleansing sessions, be careful to not touch your face.

Avoiding Interpersonal Contact

Additionally, measures should be taken to ensure contact-free deliveries in all instances where possible. If it is possible, leave the delivery outside the customer’s door, on the porch, or at the front desk of hotels and apartment buildings. This minimizes interactions that have the potential of exposing you to the virus unnecessarily. When in doubt, it’s best to assume that all individuals and packages present an exposure risk. You should err on the side of caution and take all possible measures to protect yourself.

Don’t Take the Virus Home

If you spend a lot of your day in contact with people or in an environment that could be germ-filled, you may want to find a way to change out of your work clothes prior to interacting with your family or roommates. Leave a plastic bag just outside the door for dirty clothes and wash them frequently. It’s also a good idea for anyone to immediately wash their hands upon arrival at home.