Can you catch the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from food? How should I do laundry now? Mundane household tasks have turned into a source of uncertainty and anxiety as families grapple with getting the basics done all while keeping their loved ones safe and healthy. Widespread misinformation about the virus puts everyone at risk and adds to the stress of having to filter fact from fiction.

While research into the COVID-19 virus is ongoing, we know the virus is transmitted through direct contact with respiratory droplets of an infected person (through coughing and sneezing), and touching surfaces contaminated with the virus. The virus may survive on surfaces for a few hours up to several days.

The Deputy Health Minister, Roman Prymula suggests that “you should store the disinfected food in the fridge for two days before eating it, and when the two days have passed, do everything you can to avoid touching the food packaging,” he added.

Prymula points out that “the most important thing is to avoid contact with the surface of the package so that I don’t really touch something that I then bring into the mouth – like a spoon -, because it can be contaminated,” he explains.

“Previous learnings have suggested that coronavirus may persist in the air, paper, and tissue for up to three hours, on copper for up to four hours, on cardboard up to 24 hours, on cloth for 48 hours and on plastic and stainless steel for up to 72 hours,” says Prymula.

“I would recommend creating a so-called “infectious place”, where I would leave the things outside and not carry them anywhere,” he added.

Food packaging and handling precautions 

• Remove any unnecessary packaging and dispose into a waste bin with a lid.
• Remove food from take-out containers, place on a clean plate, and dispose of the container.
• Packaging like cans can be wiped clean with a disinfectant before being opened or stored.
• Wash unpackaged produce, such as fruit and vegetables, thoroughly under running water.
• Wash your hands with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based hand rub, immediately afterward.

The film commission in the Czech Republic announced Thursday that film and TV shoots can resume production immediately in Prague now that the government has lifted restrictions and provided safety guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

“Three-quarters of audiovisual productions in the Czech Republic stopped in March. In full compliance with the Ministry of Health, filmmakers are no longer affected by measures restricting cultural and sporting events and large gatherings. We, therefore, consider audiovisual production to be resumed,” Helena Bezděk Fraňková, director of the Czech Film Fund, said in a statement.

The Czech Republic was the first country in Europe to develop self-regulatory guidelines as protection against the spread of COVID-19 during filming.

“Adherence to these recommendations, including testing actors every 14 days during production and, of course, maintaining sanitation standards on location and in studios, will reduce the possibility of infection to an absolute minimum,” Czech film commissioner Pavlina Žipková said.

Shows such as Marvel’s “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” were shooting in the country before production was shuttered there. And Amazon also had productions prepped for the latest season of “Carnival Row” with Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne and the first season of “Wheel of Time” starring Rosamund Pike. Other productions include the Netflix film “473 Transatlantic.”

Among the guidelines that the film commission laid out for individual shoots included access to testing, use of a sanitary base camp, eating lunch in shifts (more commonly known as “French hours”), taking temperatures of people on set, and providing protective gear and sanitizing equipment.

Foreign actors and crew members must have undergone a COVID-19 test at the time they leave their home countries and will undergo a second test within 72 hours of arrival in the Czech Republic, and remain quarantined until they receive a negative result. In this way, they can avoid undergoing a 14-day quarantine upon arrival.