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Should you be afraid to go to the grocery store and pick up a carton of milk?

Experts say as long as you practice good hygiene, you can reduce the risk of contracting the virus when out buying essential goods.

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Ketra Schmitt, an associate professor at Concordia University’s Gina CodyCentre for Engineering in Society, explained the reason to limit trips to the store is to limit person-to-person interaction, which is still believed to be the main way the virus is transmitted. There is little chance to get the virus from an inanimate object, especially if you clean your hands thoroughly after touching it.

Schmitt, who studies how communicable diseases are spread, said there is never a way to reduce the risk entirely, but just because the virus can live on inanimate objects it doesn’t mean there is a high risk of catching it, especially if you wash your hands after making contact.

“Something being detectable on a surface isn’t the same thing as catching it,” Scmitt said. “If people practice six-foot distance, wear a mask if they’re sick, avoid groups and wash their hands a lot we can reduce the risk.”