Going to a fast food, bank or pharmacy drive-thru? Here are tips to stay safe

People are venturing out of self quarantine to take care of essential business such as getting food, going to the bank and picking up prescription medication.

Many of these outfits are limiting their services to the drive-thru only.

While this does limit social interaction, there are still precautions you can take to help stay safe from coronavirus transmission when using a drive-thru.

Keep your distance

Try to stay as far away as you can from the person manning the drive-thru window, Good Housekeeping suggests.

The now-famous six-foot radius rule recommended by experts at Johns Hopkins University applies even in the drive-thru.

Wear gloves

Pull on a pair of gloves to receive your order from the drive-thru window, then put it on the floor of your car, according to Good Housekeeping.

But remember not to touch your face with a gloved hand.

“If your gloves touch a contaminated product, they will just contaminate the next thing that is touched,” according to the outlet.

No gloves? Hand sanitizer will work until you can get home to wash your hands, Good Housekeeping suggests.

Speaking of ...

Wash your hands

If a person handed you food or a prescription, be sure to wash your hands when you get home after removing your goods from the sack.

Coronavirus is typically transmitted when an infected person coughs or sneezes and another person breathes in the droplets, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While it’s possible for a person to get the virus after touching an object with the virus on it then touching their own nose, mouth or eyes, that’s not the main way the virus spreads, the CDC reported.

If making a payment, don’t use cash

Use your debit or credit card to avoid exchanging cash with cashiers, according to Consumer Reports. If available in the drive-thru, virtual payment options such as ApplePay are even better so you don’t have to pull out your wallet.

Use your own pen

If you have to sign a receipt, be sure to use your own pen, Consumer Reports reported.

Don’t panic, trust the experts

Remember that most essential businesses are heightening sanitation requirements and taking proper precautions to protect customers and employees from the spread of COVID-19.

And if you’re worried about your fast food meal, don’t.

The United States Department of Agriculture says there have been no reports that COVID-19 can be transmitted through food or on food packaging.

One doctor even told a reporter for Serious Eats that customers are still in the clear if someone sneezes or coughs on their food.

“Even if a worker sneezes directly into a bowl of raw salad greens before packing it in a take-out container for you to take home, as gross as it is, it’s unlikely to get you sick,” J. Kenji López-Alt reported.

This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Going to a fast food, bank or pharmacy drive-thru? Here are tips to stay safe."