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Scientifically reviewed by Sotiris Adamidis, Internist, President of ESoDiMeSO, Director of the 1st Department of Internal Medicine, Athens Medical Center.

If, in your case, the daily routine of social distancing means stocking up on ready-made food and receiving packages at home from online orders, you may at some point have wondered:

• What if the employee delivering the products to me is ill?
• Or the person who prepared the food?
• Have my items been contaminated?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 2019 novel coronavirus spreads mainly when healthy people come into close personal contact with someone who has COVID-19 and coughs or sneezes. (This is also why social distancing is so important.)

However, they do not rule out the possibility of someone contracting the virus by touching something contaminated and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes. (Hence all the advice about handwashing.)

As time passes, the likelihood of any surviving virus being transmitted becomes very low.

So, how careful should we be?

Answers to questions that concern us while #menoumemesa

Q: How long does the 2019 novel coronavirus survive on surfaces?

A: A study that had not yet been published, conducted by scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health and other US institutions, reported that the 2019 novel coronavirus can survive for two to three days on plastic or stainless-steel surfaces.

And if someone in your household is ill, it is particularly important to disinfect every day the surfaces in your home that are touched most frequently. These include: doorknobs, handles, tables, countertops, keyboards and light switches.

Tips for disinfecting surfaces in your home:

• If a surface is visibly dirty, clean it first with soap and water and then use a disinfectant.

• Wear disposable gloves.

• Make sure the area you are cleaning is well ventilated.

• Use a diluted household bleach solution or an alcohol-based solution containing at least 70% alcohol.

• Follow the instructions on the cleaning product label and make sure the product has not expired.

• Wash your hands when you have finished.

Q: Is my food safe?

A: The 2019 novel coronavirus causes respiratory disease, not foodborne illness, which means that it affects the lungs rather than the digestive system. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, there is currently no reason to believe that the virus has spread through food or food packaging.

However, authorities continue to emphasize the importance of following basic food-safety guidelines, which include:

• Washing hands thoroughly before eating or preparing food

• Using clean utensils

• Washing fruit and vegetables thoroughly if they are unpackaged

• Carefully removing plastic packaging if they are packaged

• Preparing and storing food properly

Restaurants and ready-meal delivery services should also follow safe food preparation and handling practices.

Q: What about that package that has just arrived on my doorstep? Is it safe?

A: Although the above unpublished study found that the virus could survive for up to 24 hours on cardboard, the chances of the virus spreading from packages that have been shipped and exposed to ambient temperatures for several days are low.

Q: Can the virus spread through water?

A: According to the CDC, there is no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 can spread through drinking water or through the use of swimming pools or hot tubs.

Q: Can the virus survive on my clothes?

A: No specific research has been conducted on how long this particular virus can survive on clothing, towels or other fabrics. However, it is always advisable to change and wash your clothes regularly — especially if you have just returned home from the supermarket or if you are still going to work every day.

The CDC recommends washing clothes using the highest appropriate temperature setting and drying them completely so that no moisture remains. (It is also better to shake out your clothes only when they are clean, as shaking dirty laundry may disperse germs.)

If you are caring for someone who is ill, you can wash their clothes together with your own, but you should wear disposable gloves and wash your hands with soap and water as soon as you remove the gloves. And do not forget to disinfect the laundry basket and the handles of the washing machine and dryer.

Q: Is it on my skin?

A: Germs can live on different parts of your body, but the main concern in this case is your hands. Your hands are the most likely to come into contact with surfaces on which germs have settled and then touch your face, which may provide a route for the virus to enter the body.