Pandemic takeout considered safe if guidelines followed
As restaurants statewide have converted to takeout only under a directive from Gov. Asa Hutchinson in an effort to “flatten the curve” during the COVID-19 pandemic, some customers are left wondering about the health risks of their food.
Jeff Jackson, Arkansas Department of Health retail food supervisor, said the question of whether the meals are safe or not is “tough” to answer because it depends on the restaurant.
“For me to put a blanket statement out there would not be a wise thing to do because I’m not able to see inside each facility,” Jackson said. “But I will say that if the rules are followed and the social distancing directives are followed, then there’s no reasonable expectation of transmission of COVID-19.”
One way to determine how reputable a food establishment is may be to access its past ADH Food Protection Inspection Reports, located on ADH’s website, at
https://bit.ly/2XU6d6k.
Jackson said the regulations the ADH required restaurants to follow pre-pandemic were already designed to control hazards like COVID-19, but the specific guidance issued in response to the virus includes social distancing and the reiteration of hand washing.
“We’re also asking that they continue to clean and sanitize with the same disinfectants that we currently require in the food code,” he said. “We’ve also required that if employees have illness, which is currently in the code as well … they need to be excluded from work.”
Employees are recommended to screen themselves at home, Jackson said.
Additionally, although masks are not required to be worn by employees during the pandemic, he said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and ADH guidance recommends it.
As for gloves, Jackson said the food code already required no bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food, but if the employee will not come in direct contact with that food, gloves are just recommended during the pandemic.
“If they’re putting together your hamburger or your sandwich with their hands then they need to wear gloves or use a suitable tong, or deli tissue or something like that,” Jackson said.
According to the ADH website, if an employee tests positive for COVID-19, or has been identified as being in close contact with someone who has, “the employee should be excluded from working in the facility until they are symptom free and have been cleared to return to work by their primary care physician and ADH.”
In the event that happens, ADH also recommends the facility close temporarily to clean and sanitize all surfaces.
ADH continues to conduct inspections and respond to complaints on retail food facilities at this time, but Jackson said the inspections have been reduced due to “workload shifting” in response to COVID-19.