COVID-19 Is your server sick? People who work in low-paying industries including food service or restaurants may be more likely to come to work while sick because they often don’t have benefits, such as sick days, and because they may be closer to the poverty line and in desperate need of their paycheque. It’s one factor to consider when you’re planning your trip south. Safer dining When it comes to risk, everyone is different (otherwise, we might all be going skydiving or bungee jumping or, conversely, hiding at home). If you want to eat in a restaurant or rely on takeout or drive-through for your meals on the road, there are a few things which you can do that may help lower your risk of becoming infected with COVID-19. If you decide to dine in: • Practise social distancing. • Ask to be seated at least six feet (two metres) from other patrons. • Wear a mask (except when eating or drinking). • Sanitize your hands immediately before and after eating. • Consider disinfecting the surface of your table and places where your hands may touch your chair. • Consider disinfecting tableware, such as salt-and-pepper shakers, condiment containers, the outside of drinking glasses and utensil handles (but not the business end – remember that stomach acid will kill the coronavirus, so accidentally eating virus particles is not an issue). • Be prepared tomake a U-turn if you see any obvious signs that the restaurant may not be following recommended risk-reduction measures (patrons and/or staff not wearing masks, tables too close together, staff not practising social distancing with patrons, any signs of dirt or poor sanitation).. • Be prepared with a backup dining strategy (such as a stash of energy bars) so that you won’t go hungry if you decide to skip a restaurant. If you don’t want to sacrifice takeout: • Wear disposable gloves when opening packaging. • Immediately place packaging and gloves in a garbage bag for disposal. • Bring your own disposable paper plates, plastic utensils and containers for any leftovers. • Consider packing your own beverages. • Sanitize hands before and after eating and after putting your garbage in a trash container. • Be sure that you have a backup food source (such as trail mix or energy bars). What’s your risk tolerance? Some people will not want to run the risk of restaurant, drive-through or takeout food, even with precautions. If you’re one of those people, take heart! You’re about to learn the fine art of “drive-by dining.” Your guide to drive-by dining The only hard-and-fast rule in drive-by dining is “bring your own food.” How you put that into practice will depend on a number of different factors, from whether you like to cook to how far you have to drive. But before you start planning your strategy, you’ll need to answer a few questions: • How many days of driving will it take you to get to your destination? • How many hours do you plan to drive per day? (This may influence the type of food you bring with you – on a short drive, you have more energy to get your food ready than you do after 12 hours on the road.) • How many meals and snacks do you typically eat in a day of driving? (This will inform the amount, as well as the type of food which you choose to bring with you.) • How big is your vehicle, and how much space can you allot to your food storage? (You can only carry as much food as you have room for.) • Do you have an automobile refrigerator, or can your car accommodate a cooler? • Do you have a portable camp stove, or some other way to heat food? • Are you willing to reheat meals by the side of the road? • Are you prepared to cook and prepare food in advance, or to purchase prepared food for your trip? CSANews | FALL 2020 | 39
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