Want to order food online? Here’s how you can order food delivery during the pandemic

Keep your food and yourself healthy and germ-free with these simple tips.

You must be wondering if it is safe to order groceries and food online during coronavirus pandemic. The answer is yes. As people are advised to self-quarantine and not step out of the house, ordering groceries online is the only option left with you. Groceries and food delivery services like Postmates, Doordash, Grubhub, Instacart and Uber eats are still running in this scenario of a pandemic. 

As of now, there is no evidence of COVID-19 transmission through packaging and food, according to the FDA and the CDC. The biggest potential risk of transmission is through delivery person to the customer and vice versa, through sneezing, coughing, and other direct contacts.

Many food or groceries delivering services are adopting contactless drop-offs to minimize the risk of spreading the virus. Postamtes introduced a Dropoff feature in March, allowing the customer to choose either to have the food left at the doorsteps or to meet the delivery guy at the door. Instacard also introduced a Leave at My Door feature in the US. Uber Eats has waived off delivery charges in Canada and the US during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Here are three safety tips to follow when ordering groceries and food online.

1. Leave delivery instructions- you fill find a “delivery instructions” titled field when you order food or groceries online. Normally we use this to provide food-related instructions or gate code. Now you can use this feature to mention drop off instructions. You can ask the delivery person to drop off the food at doorsteps or send a photo of the place where your delivery should be left.
2. Wash hands immediately – after getting your delivery before touching anything else in the house wah your hands for at least 20 seconds using soap. Put the food n your own utensils and container to be safe and wash your hands properly before eating. Coronavirus survives on objects and surfaces, hence it is important to keep everything clean and disinfected. Avoid sharing food and utensils you are eating in with other diners.
3. Overtip the delivery guy-  Food delivery guys are paid either by delivery service companies or on hour basis by restaurants. They cant work from home like the rest of us. You should tip 20% more to these delivery drivers during special and critical circumstances like now. Tip using the food delivery app, and if you are tipping in cash wash your hands properly after touching the bills. Use your own pen to signs any bills if needed.

It is very important to remain careful and safe during this pandemic situation. Avoid touching your face as much as you can and regularly wash your hands after touching any outside objects. Avoid direct contact with people and disinfect regularly used objects and devices like mobiles, handbags. Earphones, tables, and doors, etc.