Environmental Health and Drinking Water

COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions

General Environmental Health

• How long does the COVID-19 virus live on surfaces?

• Is COVID-19 spread through letters or packages in the mail?  Should I be concerned about opening packages or letters that are sent through the US Mail?

Drinking Water

• Is drinking tap water safe?
• Do I need to boil my drinking water?

Restaurants, Bars and Food Safety

Disease Transmission:

• Is CT DPH going to share information regarding the spread of COVID-19 through fecal-oral route?   Answer: Current information from the FDA does not indicate a known transmission of virus through food by an individual ill with Coronavirus. All food handlers should practice good personal hygiene and proper hand washing techniques that are typically employed on a daily basis. Any food handlers who are experiencing symptoms should not prepare any foods or work in a food establishment until cleared by the local health department¹

Grocery Stores, Restaurants and Food Trucks:

• A grocery store is being told they had to individually wrap all of their produce. Is this required?    Answer: Whole, raw produce sold in grocery stores is not required to be individually wrapped.

• Is there a blanket closure of customer self-service areas (e.g. salad bars, hot food bars, olive bars, etc.) in grocery stores?
  Answer:  There is no specific ban concerning self-serve operations, however, the press release issued on March 20, 2020 for Executive Order 7H, stated that essential businesses should implement rules to facilitate social distancing of at least 6 feet. Also, the press release issued on March 26, 2020, for Executive Order7N, requires that retail establishments, including grocery stores, to take measures to ensure customers maintain six feet of distance between each other.²

• Is FPP working with the Governor to come up with a statewide plan for closing restaurants and bars and will that information be provided from FPP to the LHDs?
  Answer: Governor Lamont issued Executive Order 7D on March 16, 2020 that bans restaurants and bars from providing onsite service and instead requires all establishments to provide take-out or delivery service only. The Governor further limited entrance to restaurants and bars to the extent possible, to only picking up orders with the issuance of Executive Order 7N on March 26, 2020.  The Food Protection Program was not involved with crafting the Governor’s Executive Order.

• There is a bar/restaurant who said they are staying open regular hours and regular service despite the Governor's order. How is the order being enforced? 
  Answer: State and local police are enforcing the governor's executive order 7D.³

• Can customers get drinks at the bar while waiting for their takeout food?
  Answer: The Department of Consumer Protection’s Implementation Order of the Governor's Executive Order 7G specifically states no onsite consumption of alcoholic beverages is allowed on the premises or grounds of the permitted establishment. It does allow alcoholic beverages in sealed containers as received by wholesalers, to be sold for takeout if food is included with the order.

• What about small places where the crowd waiting outside is more than what the restaurant can seat. 
  Answer: Executive Order 7N requires restaurants and bars to limit the entrance of customers inside the establishment to the minimum extent necessary to pick up their take-out orders. All retail establishments that are allowed to be open must manage lines where people are waiting to enter to maintain six feet of distance between people.

• How does the closure of food service dining rooms affect food trucks/itinerant vendors?
  Answer: In Executive Order 7H the public is urged to “Stay home and stay safe.” Food trucks distributing food to the public are allowed to remain open, however Executive order 7N further reduces public gatherings to a maximum of five, encourages limiting outdoor activities, and implementing social distancing.

• Can a mobile ice cream truck still operate during the ban?   
  Answer: Mobile ice cream trucks are under the same classification as food trucks, and thus would not be included in the ban and can continue to operate as stated above.

Schools:

• The Commissioner of the State Department of Education wants to send guidance out for our schools' food service staff to ensure they are safe when delivering meals. Does the DPH food protection have any guidance?    
  Answer: All staff should follow the CDC guidance that speaks to practicing social distancing, practicing frequent hand washing or using hand sanitizer if hand washing is not possible, after delivering food to a pick-up location where people will meet to get their meal, making sure any food workers who are ill are not working and are following quarantine and self-monitoring requirements if applicable. Regarding food safety, the current regulations and principles would apply for delivery of food including proper temperature controls.

Other Questions:

• Does the ban apply to Farmers' Markets or are there any special requirements?
  Answer:  The press release issued on March 17, 2020 associated with Executive Order 7D that prohibited onsite dining at restaurants and bars stated that the ban did not apply to farmers' markets. Farmers’ markets must also employ social distancing as indicated above.

• Can employees eat their lunch in a corporate cafeteria with other employees?
  Answer: Cafeterias in essential workplaces including hospital and psychiatric cafeterias are allowed to be utilized by employees, however, employees are encouraged to bring their own meals to work if possible, or, to the extent feasible and prudent from a public health perspective, employees should be allowed to eat their purchased food at their work spaces. If dining areas are used, social distancing measures should be employed along with hand washing. ⁴

References:

¹ Food Safety and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) from https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-during-emergencies/food-safety-and-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

² Governor Lamont Office, Executive Order 7H issued March 20, 2020 and 7N issued March 26, 2020. https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus/Pages/Emergency-Orders-issued-by-the-Governor-and-State-Agencies

³ Governor Lamont Office, Executive Order 7D issues March 16, 2020, https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/Office-of-the-Governor/Executive-Orders/Lamont-Executive-Orders/Executive-Order-No-7D.pdf?la=en