Recently, positive testresults forCovid-19 of imported cold-chain productshave been repeatedlyreported at home, which triggered worries about safety ofpurchasing and processing offrozen products and handlingwith packages from high risk areas, and the CDC experts were interviewed for some suggestions.
According to the experts, purchase of chilled or frozen foods or fresh foods should be made in formal shopping malls and markets instead of from cold-chain foods online and check of the nucleic acid test reports is encouraged before making choices; meanwhile, a plastic bag can be used as a “glove”to pick up chilled or frozen foods or fresh foods, avoiding touching the foods directly. As for prepackaged foods, attention should be paid to the production date, the shelf life and the storage condition to make sure they are under expiration date. Besides, hands should be washed with soap or cleaned with hand-sanitizer after shopping, without touching the mouths, noses or eyes before washing or cleaning.
The experts also offered some tips for storage and processing of chilled or frozen foods and fresh foods. As experts suggested, such kinds of foods should be reserved in the freezing compartment of fridge, separated from cooked foods. The containers, cleavers and cutting boardsfor cleaning and processing these foods should be placed separately from the kitchen utensils for cooked foods as well as washed and sterilized instantlyin case of cross-contamination between cooked and raw foods.Hand-washing and even thorough cleaning and sterilization of the cooking tools and cutlery and even the whole kitchen should be conducted after processing the chilled or frozen foods and before touching the cooked foods.Besides, seafood should be fully cookedand once it causes fever or diarrhea, the patient should be sent to the fever clinic immediately and inform thedoctor of the exacttimeof taking in seafoodand thekind and the source of the seafoodas well.
Apart from imported seafood, it is hard to know whether there is virus on the externalpacking of parcelsand correspondencesfrom high-risk areas aboard;therefore, protective measures,such as wearing masks and gloves,should be taken for prevention, as the experts suggested. Concerning the parcelsand correspondences from high risk-area aboard, they should be sterilized first, and then be placed for several daysbefore unfolding in the open air, for example on the balcony.
The experts also remindedthat manykinds of viruses and bacteria“come” along with cold air in winter, thus the public should pay more attention to prevention ofinfluenza, mumps, chickenpox and other respiratory infectious diseases and take effective protective measures in this season.
Warm Tips: Epidemic Prevention and Control in Autumnand Winter
First, take masks with you and wear them in a correct way, especially in crowded places,such as supermarkets,shopping malls and hospitals, as well as relatively closed spacesincludingbox elevators and public transport spaces. Inthe places ofgood disinfection, ventilationand strict health monitoring, wearinga mask is not necessarily required when the person-to-person distance is more than 1 meter.
Second, wash your hands at necessary moments. Don’ttouch the mouth, nose, eyes and other parts of your body beforewashing your handsand follow the 7-step hand-washing method. Keep the house in a condition of good ventilation and openthewindows 3 times a day, exactly in the morning, at noon and inthe evening for at least 30 minutes each time. Meanwhile, don’t shake hands or hug for greetingsand keep a person-to-personsocial distance of more than 1 meter.
Third, build a strong bodyand develop your immunity from disease, for example, rinse themouth or nasal cavity every daywith refrigerated salt water toprotect your throat. Wear proper clothes to keep warmand prevent yourself from getting a cold.
Fourth, seek medical advice when you have the following symptoms,fever, cough, diarrhea, fatigueand so on. Go to the nearest fever clinic to receiveexaminationand treatmentin time. Remembernot to takepublic transportation on your wayto the hospital and dowear a disposal medical mask or a mask of higher defense capability.(Reported byLiu Jingjing, Zhang Haoand Wu Chaofan)