When possible, pay with cards! Cash passes through many hands and you have no control over its cleanliness.
Consider making purchases online to avoid going into stores for extended periods.
Do not purchase any bulk foods, such as nuts or granola, that are in open barrels or other open containers.
Masks are still recommended when going into any shopping location.
Better safe than sorry!
Try to refrain from touching items as you move through the store to avoid contamination.
When you do have to shop in person, go during hours when fewer people will be there (for example, early morning or late night). If you shop early in the morning, product stocking levels may be better.
If you are at higher risk for severe illness, find out if the store has special shopping hours for people at higher risk. If the store has special shopping hours for high risk customers, try to shop during those hours. People at higher risk for severe illness include adults 65 or older and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions.
It is best to use hand sanitizer before and after trying on clothes. Also, keep your mask on while trying on clothes.
All clothing once tried on should be sanitized by steam cleaning or other methods. Ask about the store policy.
- When possible, pay with cards! Cash passes through many hands and you have no control over its cleanliness.
Once back in your car, use hand sanitizer, and when you arrive home wash your hands with soap and water as recommended by the CDC.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Running Essential Errands Grocery Shopping, Take-Out, Banking, and Getting Gas. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/essential-goods-services.html.
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. (2020. Healthy At Work Reopening Kentucky. Retrieved from https://govstatus.egov.com/ky-healthy-at-work.
National Retail Federation. (2020). Operation Open Doors: Guidance for Retailers on Reopening Stores. Retrieved from https://nrf.com/resources/operation-open-doors.
Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability. Kentucky State University, University of Kentucky, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Kentucky Counties, Cooperating. 2020 KYSU-CEP-FAC-0058