MoPH issues directives for grocery shopping | Do’s and Don’ts

MoPH issues directives for grocery shopping | Do’s and Don’ts

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has posted an advisory on social media platforms explaining how people can protect themselves while shopping for groceries. The following are the various do’s and don’ts for the public going to a store for grocery shopping.

• Limit grocery store visits to only one person and avoid taking children.
• If your household workers are doing the shopping, explain the precautionary measures to them.
• Make a grocery list prior to leaving your house.
• To reduce the number of visits, purchase enough groceries to last 1-2 weeks, but do not over-purchase to leave stocks for others.
• Ensure that you always leave a distance of at least 1.5m between yourself and others.
• Ensure that you disinfect carts and baskets prior to use, or wear disposable gloves and throw them in a trash bin immediately after use.
• Avoid touching your nose, mouth, and eyes while shopping.
• Use electronic forms of payment instead of cash. Use a tissue when entering your PIN number.
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser (60% alcohol) immediately after you leave the grocery store.
• Place grocery bags in the trunk of the car and not on the seats.
• When you reach home, dispose of the grocery bags immediately and wash the purchased items.
• Ensure to disinfect and wipe the surfaces that were in contact with the grocery bags, as well as the products you purchased.
• When you finish storing the products, wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser.
• The advisory also states that a person should avoid going grocery shopping if s/he is experiencing any flu-like symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, and fever; suffers from any chronic condition or low immunity; or is an elderly person.
• Hypermarket giant Lulu has also enlisted several measures to improve health and safety include having staff wash their hands frequently.
• This follows the other social distancing and preventative measures that have already been introduced such as hand sanitisers and tape on the floor to show customers how far to stay apart in queues, along with exclusive checkouts for health workers, elderly and vulnerable people.

Earlier Lulu Hypermarkets had announced measures to further enhance sanitisation and cleaning protocols that are in place, with stores sanitising trolley and basket handles and all other common touch areas as preventative measures.

Lulu Hypermarket has also requested its customers to stop using the reusable bags for the time being as a measure to maintain the supreme level of hygiene. On the other hand, Lulu has also provided a transparent protective screen that will be made available across their branches as an added protective measure for cashiers against coronavirus.

“It is very important for us to give a sense of safety and peace of mind to our people, especially our cashiers who are the frontline soldiers of Lulu Hypermarkets, we’ve looked across the world at best practices and these shields stand out as a strong safety precaution,” said Mohamed Althaf, Director of Lulu Hypermarkets.

For more information on Covid-19, one can visit MoPH’s website at www.moph.gov.qa or call 16000.

Also Read:

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