In the U.S. today, few of us are self sufficient. We do not make our own furniture, build our own homes, and, perhaps most importantly, we do not grow and raise our own food. In other words, without the support of a wide range of business, we simply would not survive.
While most of us may be able to shelter in place, complete isolation is impossible. At the very least, we must be able to have essential goods and services delivered to us. If the pipes burst, we have to call the plumber to avoid property damage and the growth of toxic mold. Many Americans, especially the elderly, take several kinds of prescription medications which have to be delivered or picked up at the pharmacy. And, of course, without groceries, almost all of us would eventually starve to death.
A small minority have the option of just staying at home and asking delivery people to set the parcels down on the doorstep and run. Even precautions this scrupulous, however, do not firmly guarantee that viruses have not hitched a ride on packages or produce, and the one minute spot we miss disinfecting may turn out to be the vector for transmission of COVID-19. Our basic dependence on others for the goods and services needed to exist in 2020 puts us all at risk.
The average individual, of course, will choose to go out and shop in person for food. So the most careful don full battle gear, others rely on general social distancing guidelines, while the contrarians throw caution to the wind and act as if it is all business as usual. At any rate, every human being must eat to stay alive, so out to the grocery stores we go in search of sustenance to get through the lockdown.
Unfortunately, everything ultimately depends on supermarkets using suitable practices to minimize risk, putting grocery store managers and employees in the impossible position of applying protocols for reducing the transmission of infectious disease—a task normally reserved for clinics and hospitals. Certainly larger chains employ health and safety experts who set broad corporate policies based on current information, but each individual store and its employees will inevitably vary in their ability, and willingness, to correctly follow the company guidelines.
Admittedly, even healthcare providers differ widely in their level of training and adherence to hygiene and safety practices, but some core concepts and methods are incorporated throughout healthcare. For example, the golden rule of universal precautions, where the only right assumption is that everyone, even without a diagnosis or any symptoms, should be treated as if he or she had a contagious disease, is known to almost every healthcare worker. On the other hand, for the general public—including grocery store cashiers, deli staff, and meat cutters—this precept of universal precautions is a novel idea that can be difficult to fully grasp. “You won’t get it from me…I’m not sick!” And no one, not even the store manager, is likely to be able to tell you whether the spray used on cart handles is a low, intermediate, or high level disinfectant.
As healthcare professionals roll their carts through the aisles and observe supermarket employees doing their best to climb the steep learning curve of working out how to minimize the risk of infectious disease, mistakes are all too obvious. Recognizing that store clerks cannot possibly adhere to clinical protocols in no way detracts from the great respect and admiration deserved by these employees who continue to serve the customers, despite the real risks. Instead, our intention is to raise the awareness that, whenever venturing out for crucial supplies, everyone needs to be personally responsible. We cannot depend solely on others to keep us safe and healthy through this crisis. Be smart and stay vigilant.