MILWAUKEE, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS) - In the midst of Governor Tony Evers' Safer at Home order, millions of WIsconsinites have spent an extended stretch of time safely social distancing, self-isolating and quarantining.

Anyone else need a brief break and a good meal?!

Restaurants remain open for take-out and delivery, and in addition to supporting local businesses, a meal from your favorite spot could give you a little taste of normalcy-- just make sure to take the proper safety steps to help protect yourself (and those working!) from the spread of the coronavirus.

"For carry-out, the food for the most part hasn't been the problem," Dr. Jeffrey Pothof, Chief Quality Officer with UW Health told Spectrum News 1. "We're not seeing people contract coronavirus from eating food."

While your chances of contracting coronavirus from eating food are minimal, there's still a chance to contract the virus (or any other bacteria) from touching containers or surfaces (don't forget to wipe down that credit card!), so Dr. Pothof says it's simply a matter of taking the proper precautions while picking up take-out food or getting delivery.

"If you go to a restaurant, practice that good social distancing" Dr. Pothof added. "There are ways to make sure we don't get close to other people, and since the food is really safe the concern is really the container that it comes in, so therefore we'd recommend, similar to the grocery store-- assume that, when you touch that, that your hands are contaminated. When you go home, wash your hands and wipe down that container, clean your hands again and then you're probably pretty safe from the take-out standpoint."

Restaurants continue to take additional safety steps statewide to keep their customers safe.

"There are safe ways to do take-out, there are safe ways to do delivery," Dr. Pothof added. "Clean your hands and that container."

"Please know that there is no evidence at this time that this virus can be transmitted through food," Monica Theis, a distinguished lecturer in the Department of Food Science at UW Madison, noted in a statement. "The primary route of transmission is person-to-person. Theoretically, a virus could be 'picked up' from a surface and then transferred through touching one's eyes, nose or mouth; however, according to the CDC, this is not considered a primary route of transmission. My best advice is to follow the best food handling practices that are recommended any time: wash hands frequently and thoroughly, keep surfaces (especially food contact surfaces) clean, and cook food to the correct temperatures."

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