SARS-2 RECEIVING PROTOCOL -- AND Report on my Trip to The Outside

Quick report on my “trip to the outside” last night.   Note RECEIVING PROTOCOL.

 Street traffic was light, very few cars in parking lots.

Maybe 10 patrons in Sendiks, more workers.    No patrons or workers were wearing masks.

Store was fully stocked with EVERYTHING except cleaning supplies, I didn’t look at the medical aisle.   

Fruit and veggies were well stocked and looked great and no price gouging seen anywhere, even some sales. 

I am trying to eat fresh foods as much as possible, pull nothing out of freezer at this point.    First rumors of SARS-2 hitting the food supply chain were seen today on internet news.

Enjoy fresh stuff while you can…..meanwhile planting inside for the garden now.  I suggest y’all do the same even if it’s small.   We will plant outside too, lettuce and such, and if we get a killing frost, we just plant again.

-------  RECEIVING  PROTOCOL ------------

SARS-2 is reported to live on surface as follows.    Of course, extra time or temp is better and more cautious.

After shopping or delivery -- or before is you want– put on disposable gloves, that will protect and also keep you from touching your face.

Cardboard, textiles – 24 hours.   Be aware though that packaging tape on cardboard might have a much longer Virus Viability Time (VVT)

Hard surfaces can have VVT of 14 days if dry and kind of warm, 21 days if moist and kind of cool (says 55F or less), 27 days if moist and cool.    So we stocked up on red wine….those bottles can sit in the garage until needed.

Perishable or frozen items that you need to bring in…..We made a fine mist spray with “Star San” which is an awesome product that brewers use.     It works and brewer trust it, because if there is any odd microbes in their batch, the whole batch can be destroyed.    Its diluted 1 ounce to 5 gallons, and it needs a 60 second contact time to kill for sure.   Brewers move pretty fast when setting up their batch and I have seen the pro use  less than a minute contact time.

Its cheap, still unknown, and still available.   Buy Star San now.    So stuff you need to being in or use right away….get a nice even coating of fine spray.    Star San is your friend get to know it….it does also not need to be washed away, the brewer leave it right in the brew container and it imparts no flavor  no effect.

Plastic bags that food comes in, do not enter the house---immediately remove and dispose.   These are hard surfaces that could have extended VVT.    Products can go into cardboard boxes if needed.

If you have an area that you can bring up to 82F, the SARS-2 will be killed in about 30 minutes once the product is heat soaked through.     Those in warm climates….think interior of your car in the sun.   SARS-2 also does not like higher humidity in the air, but it likes moist surfaces.

There are “draft studies”, this from March 15, which says SARS-2 can live on plastic and Stainless steel for 2 to 3 days.   POINT, it’s draft, this study is done under duress.    I believe it to be “too loose” even dangerous.    We should base our decisions on SARS-2 acting like SARS-1 in which a decade of careful peer reviewed study shows the longer VVTs that I use above.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2020/03/15/new-coronavirus-study-shows-how-long-hcov-19-can-live-on-different-surfaces/#7c442f55412f

Fruits and Veggies that can be stored in your Decon Space, should stay there until you need them.   I think overnight with a Aerosolizer pumping out a sanitary spray is a good policy and I do that on every food delivery.   The moisture on fruits and veggies should make SARS-2 stay viable longer.    I like to use Thieves Oil which is a combination of 5 oils with anti-Viral, anti-Bacterial, and Anti-Fungal properties and it smells great.

I am on the fence about immediately washing the fruits and veggies.    Plain soap will reduce the number of viruses and bacteria but will not kill them if present.   And of course, anti-bacterial dish soaps will not kill viruses.   Star San would probably work just fine, but it won’t remove the pesticides and herbicides, so wash first, than Star San!

DOES THIS SEEM OVERWHELMING?    Don’t fall into that trap, and screw that defeatist attitude of “what can we do about it anyway….”   For a three week purchase, this took me around 35 minutes.   

Finally clothes and outer wear (Hoodie is best, wear it up when on “the outside”), and I took the opportunity to wash my sneakers also.    It has been reported that standard clothes washing cycles will eliminate the SARS-2, I am sure the time and temperature do a number on this Virus.    I ran the “heavy duty” cycle just because I could, LOL. 

Gloves come off and get thrown away, and finally a shower and hair wash.    

 

stock out