Editor’s note: Due to the rapidly evolving nature of news about coronavirus, some information in this article has changed since publication. Please refer to our most up-to-date list of Denver restaurants offering takeout and delivery here.

Restaurants around the country are bracing for the impacts of COVID-19, and consumers are wondering whether they can dine out, pick up food or order in during the coronavirus outbreak. As of now, restaurants are still offering multiple options in an effort to stay in business — including dine-in, in some cases, as well as carryout, curbside pickup and delivery.

In response to the latest CDC guidance, Denver officials on Sunday night called for events of 50 people or more to be cancelled or postponed for eight weeks. And across the country, states are closing bars, restaurants and other businesses.

But the Colorado Restaurant Association has asked Gov. Jared Polis to continue to allow restaurant delivery, curbside pick-up, and drive-through service. “Without food from restaurants, there will be even more strain on Colorado’s grocery stores, where empty aisles are already commonplace,” Association CEO Sonia Riggs said in a statement.

Here’s what you need to know about restaurants, deliverers and your handling of food packages over the coming days and weeks.

RELATED: 14-day national shutdown could include bars and restaurants, infectious disease expert says

Restaurants

To stay healthy and clean during this time, restaurant employees are following protocols set by the city’s health department as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

More and more Denver restaurateurs are also implementing new takeout and delivery services with advanced precautions. One popular new option is curbside pickup, so you can stay in your car to receive your order. At Chook’s two Denver locations, for example, you can call ahead, and your order will be brought out to you.

At other restaurants, like Wooden Spoon Cafe & Bakery in Highland, takeout is the only form of food service available until further notice. Some places offering food for pick-up will take phone orders, while others will require you to come in person. For now, The Wooden Spoon takes orders by phone only on weekends.

And many sit-down restaurants, such as The Bindery and The Wolf’s Tailor, are implementing their own delivery services around their neighborhoods and to the rest of Denver where possible. Call restaurants to inquire about their available or preferred methods of delivering.

Food deliverers

Companies dedicated to food delivery like DoorDash and Uber Eats say they are putting in place paid sick-leave policies for their drivers. And they’ve given drivers guidance and guidelines for cleaning and staying healthy during the coronavirus outbreak, including giving them gloves and hand sanitizer.

One thing to keep in mind, though, when ordering from a third-party delivery service: Your food not only passes through chefs’ and servers’ hands but also through the hands of a driver who’s not directly related to that restaurant.

“When you’re going to a restaurant, the onus is really on the restaurant to make sure the food is … being handled correctly,” said Elaine Scallan Walter, an associate professor of epidemiology with the Colorado School of Public Health. “If it’s being delivered, the onus is more on you and the transport.”

You

With that in mind, Scallan Walter recommends washing your hands even after removing food from its packaging when you’ve ordered in. Delivery services are also making it easier for you to order and receive food without ever coming into direct contact with the delivery driver.

To do this, you can leave instructions on most major delivery apps, along with photos in some cases of where to leave the food, i.e., by your door, on your porch, etc. A DoorDash representative says that the company is also working on “enhanced drop-off options for contactless delivery.”

And they are working with restaurants on best practices, “such as removing items in open packaging, taping over straw holes, having food handlers place all items in bags and offering new and innovative packaging options,” according to a DoorDash spokesperson.

Some common delivery apps

In case you aren’t sure where to begin with at-home food delivery, start by calling the restaurant you wish to order from, visiting their website, or downloading one or more of these apps, which offer delivery from dozens of local restaurants.

Want more information on how to deal with the novel coronavirus? Take a look at our latest updates and resources.