The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has issued guidelines on food safety that must strictly be observed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, among which include avoiding trips to the supermarkets during rush hours when social distancing is unintentionally neglected due to the huge crowd.
The call was made even as new COVID-19 cases have started to gradually go down after shooting up from 400 on July 2 to 672 the following day and 716 on July 4, according to regular updates by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP).
Another 683 new coronavirus cases were detected on July 5, bringing the total number of cases in the UAE to 51,540. As of July 7, new cases were at 532.
In an advisory, DHA issued a range of safety protocols for consumers regarding COVID-19 highlighted by guidelines on food safety while shopping, of which among salient points include the following:
- Avoiding trips to the supermarket during rush hours, and always wearing a face mask and hand gloves.
- Preparing a list of groceries outlining essential items needed ahead of your trip.
- Choosing long-lasting goods, and ensure you are aware of the production and expiration dates.
- Reducing visits to the supermarket and food stores by pre-planning food needs.
- Making sure to read the shelf life of food and storage instructions on the packages, and that the cans are not dented.
- Buying chilled or frozen food at the end of the shopping trip to avoid melting of these products and staying out of the refrigerator for long periods.
- Placing frozen and raw foods such as meat, eggs and fish in separate bags from the rest of the food products.
The advisory also urged consumers to clean canned goods and wash vegetables thoroughly before putting them in the refrigerator.
“The greatest risk of contamination remains contact with other people and surfaces that are exposed to frequent contact, such as food balance surfaces, shopping carts, and elevator buttons,” read the DHA advisory. “Try to reduce visits to the supermarket and food stores by pre-planning of your food needs,” it added.
In the past several weeks, the number of new cases was in the range of 400 to over 500. There were 346 new cases on June 16; 342 on June 15 and 304 on June 14, also according to MoHAP.
The detection is attributed to an aggressive COVID-19 testing campaign of the UAE government, where over 41,000 additional tests using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment were conducted on July 5 as per MOHAP announcement on July 5 as well.
Meantime, MoHAP reported a total of 326 COVID-19 fatalities and 41,714 recoveries from the total 52,600 cases.
The UAE government has recently started easing anti-COVID restrictions to jump-start the economy back to life but with an eye on continuously implementing strict protocols like mask-wearing and social distancing, while at the same time executing COVID tests in large numbers.
Main photo caption: Customers at a supermarket queue in for the cashier unmindful of social distancing. The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has advised residents to avoid making trips to the supermarkets during rush hours. (Jojo Dass)
The Daily Bread 