Beijing Issues Ten Commandments of Safe Grocery Shopping
The Beijing government has just released new safety guidelines for consumers while shopping in supermarkets. Posted on the Beijing Government website, the list mostly builds upon existing (and now well-established) recommendations, with a dash of common sense.
We've translated the items below and you can consult the original here.
- Everyone who enters the supermarket must wear a mask.
- Try to avoid crowded areas, and avoid taking elevators.
- Before entering the supermarket, cooperate with the staff and accept any requests for temperature testing.
- Keep a distance of at least one meter between yourself and others.
- Try to pay with WeChat, Alipay, or other mobile payment methods (as opposed to cash or cards, which both require physical contact).
- Buy in bulk in order to reduce the number of times you need to go shopping. Wear disposable gloves.
- Take public transport as little as possible, and if possible, walk, cycle, or drive.
- Choose well-ventilated, quiet shopping malls and supermarkets.
- Make a shopping list ahead of time and do not loiter and chat, so as to shorten the amount of time you spend in the store.
- Upon returning home, wash your hands immediately with running water and soap, remove articles with outer packaging and discard, or spray with disinfectant before removal. Wash fresh produce and cook all food thoroughly before consumption.
These ten commandments are followed by the now-familiar standard set of requirements for the supermarkets themselves, such as regular disinfection of surfaces, and monitoring staff members for signs of fever. It does not, however, make mention of the recent recommendation that stores remove plastic sheeting, commonly used as germ-riddled insulators (and occasional face-slappers), from their entrances.
The announcement concludes by noting that the situation is still "very serious," that ongoing concerns about a repeat of the epidemic are not unfounded, and that the preventative measures and controls are "far from being relaxed," which indicates that we are still a long way from returning to business as normal – at least when it comes to our weekly shop – in the capital.
READ: Heading Back to the Office? Not Without Taking These Measures
Image: Mehrad Vosoughi (via Unsplash)
