According to Google Maps data, Monday at 8 a.m. is the least busy time for grocery stores, making it the safest time to shop. While Google data specifies that the beginning of the week is the best, early morning shopping on any weekday is probably a safe bet because fewer people are looking to hit the stores first thing in the morning. “If there is a time of day or evening when less people go grocery shopping, this is the safest time,” said infection control practitioner Erica Susky. “Less people mean fewer potential exposures to COVID-19.” And for more on your coronavirus risk, If You’ve Done This Recently, You’re 70 Percent More Likely to Get COVID. It seems like people flock to the stores over the weekend to cross things off their to-do list. Google Maps data found that Saturday between 12 to 3 p.m. is the busiest time for grocery stores, making it the riskiest time to shop. Physician assistant Ben Tanner said there are a few other times you may want to avoid. “Typically, it’s pretty easy to keep your distance from other people at a grocery store. It’s usually a large building, with a lot of space,” Tanner said. “The main exception would be peak times, like the late afternoon, early evening, right after people get out of work.” And for more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. Even if the grocery store is cleaned intermittently throughout the day, there’s no doubt it’s at its most pristine when it first opens. “While grocery stores should be sanitizing throughout the day, they may very well be only doing so first thing in the morning as they prepare for opening,” said antimicrobial expert W. Curtis White, PhD, chief technology officer of ViaClean Technologies. “With this in mind, it may be safest to go earlier rather than later.” And for ways you could already be protected, If You Have This in Your Blood, You May Be Safe From Severe COVID.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb If you find yourself shopping in a fairly empty store early in the morning, it’s still important to take other safety precautions. “It remains critically important that we continue to wear masks, social distance, be cognizant of touching common surfaces, washing one’s hands, and not going out if you feel sick,” infectious disease specialist Javeed Siddiqui MD, MPH, chief medical officer at TeleMed2U, previously told Best Life. As Tanner notes, if you and the other people in the store are adhering to all the public health measures, your risk of catching COVID is very low. And for a coronavirus sign to look out for, If You’re Over 65, You Could Be Missing This COVID Symptom, Study Says.
