Coronavirus: Los Angeles and Grocery Stores

The Los Angeles Times (Dec 20) is saying that supermarkets are being hit hard by COVID-19:

Outbreaks are increasing at an alarming rate across industries, officials say — an unavoidable consequence of so many people falling sick in the region. But those at grocery stores and other essential retailers pose a unique challenge for officials attempting to reduce coronavirus transmission, as well as for county residents trying to pare down their activities to only what is necessary. 

. . . County officials estimate that 1 in 80 people in the county are infectious with the coronavirus, the highest prevalence yet recorded. With so many people infected, it’s likelier than ever that a co-worker or customer could be ill, and that a single case could multiply into dozens.

. . . It remains unclear where these shoppers and vendors became infected, as well as with whom the store’s outbreak originated. County health officials say it is extremely difficult to pinpoint the sources of infections when so many infected people are asymptomatic.

That last quote is what I was wondering about when I started reading this article. How are these outbreaks starting at supermarkets. Are they becoming infected via contact within the store or are they getting infected via other means? The answer appears to be unknown. Of course, the article discusses an outbreak that happened at Palmdale's (city north of Los Angeles) Food 4 Less and that the entire meat department is infected. For some reason, I'm betting it is more likely that the infection started in the meat department versus say at different locations across the city. But who knows.

I heard one speculation a few weeks back saying that maybe the virus didn't spread in supermarkets due to the high ceilings and so the virus got spread out more. Well, that might not be true. 

The article also suggests shopping once every other week. Being an Los Angeles county resident I guess I'm not doing a good job at that; however, I do shop between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. depending on when the store closes. I go to Trader Joe's once a month at around 8:15 p.m. as the store closes at 9:00 p.m. The crowds vary, but I never have to stand in line outside so I assume that during the day it is even more crowded. I go to Smart & Final once a month. I go there at 9 p.m. as they close at 10 p.m. Finally, I go to Sprouts every week at 9 p.m. as they also close at 10 p.m. Both Smart & Final and Sprouts are far less crowded than a Trader Joe's and are also like twice as large so those inside are spread out more. 

Sprouts is where I buy my fruits and vegetables. Smart & Final is where I buy my toilet paper, tissue, some food items. Trader Joe's is where I stock up on my favorite Trader Joe's items. 

I know that there have been arguments on rather or not it is right to use Instacart to get your groceries. I've always thought it was wrong to put someone else at risk. Do I still feel that way considering that 1 in 80 or 1.25% of us are infected? Yes. It is a lot more risky than it was say in September, but I still say I should take my own risk.