Scared of Boise restaurant food during coronavirus? A health official isn’t. Here’s why.

Natasha Ferney has not changed her lunch routine because of the coronavirus pandemic.

She chooses a place. She grabs takeout. She enjoys her meal.

“I actually go out for lunch every day and take out food,” Ferney said Monday.

As food safety program manager for Central District Health, Ferney confronts the coronavirus as part of her job. She oversees inspectors monitoring food establishments in Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties.

Field inspections have been reduced by about 15 percent as restaurants have shuttered and inspectors are reassigned to COVID-19 response tasks. But standard inspections continue, Ferney said, with an emphasis on education about safe food handling and the coronavirus.

The fast-growing pandemic has transformed how restaurants conduct business. After city and state governments instructed dine-in establishments to close, many pivoted to takeout and delivery orders. Restaurant cleanliness has become paramount, both as a precaution and as a marketing tool.

Many customers want to support local businesses. And they love restaurant cuisine. Still, the question lurks in the back of fearful minds: Is it safe?

There is no current evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with food, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus is believed to spread primarily from person to person, although it also can survive on surfaces.

“My opinion is this,” Ferney said. “If a food establishment diligently follows the guidelines for hand washing, proper glove usage, cleaning and sanitizing, the food is safe to eat.”

In the Boise area? “You probably will be pretty safe anywhere, honestly,” Ferney said.

Lots of staffers at Central District Health eat out, said Christine Myron, public information officer, and they are “very comfortable” doing so.

There is no such thing as a risk-free world. “I feel like there’s some level of that just every day,” Myron said, “even outside of COVID.”

“I think, too, we’re really reaching that point in our community where there is community spread. And we have to understand, any time we’re going out in public, even if we’re limiting trips, we’re possibly being exposed in some capacity.

“It’s no longer just that person who took a cruise or just came back from New York or whatever. We’re really getting to that point where people need to recognize that we’re seeing it here, it’s probably going to be here for a while, and you’re probably going to know people who get it to varying degrees.”

Employees test positive

Ten food establishments in Central District Health’s jurisdiction, including grocers and coffee shops, have had an employee confirmed to have COVID-19, Myron said.

Dutch Bros Coffee at 37 E. Calderwood Drive in Meridian shut down last weekend before reopening. Flying Pie Pizzaria at 6508 W. Fairview Ave. in Boise also recently shuttered, revealing on Facebook that an employee had tested positive. Both businesses informed patrons that they were undergoing deep cleaning and sanitizing.

There is no legal requirement that forces a restaurant to close because of an employee’s positive COVID-19 status, Myron said.

“If a food worker, or any person for that matter, tests positive with COVID-19, they would need to be quarantined for 14 days,” Myron said. “At this point in time, there isn’t a guideline pertaining to COVID-19 that specifies closure parameters except for the one for schools, which indicates that the facility has to be closed for two to five days for cleaning and sanitizing.”

If a food establishment has an employee test positive, Central District Health’s disease investigation team contacts it by phone, Myron said. Establishments are advised to use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection Recommendations.

From a practical standpoint, the steps involved require temporary closure, Ferney said.

“A closure, really, is a must if that business wants to do what’s right,” she said. “If it’s a small coffee shop, it can probably be taken care of in one or two days. If it’s a larger establishment, there’s more to it.”

Myron said that Central Health District is “seeing proactivity and compliance” among restaurants.

Customer ‘trust’

The relationship between restaurants and customers often boils down to trust, Ferney said.

“We do trust our establishments to do what’s right,” she said, “and my team is really working diligently on education and providing all the information to them.

“As a regulator, and as a consumer, and a customer of those restaurants, I can tell you for a fact that people want to do what’s right. They’re trying their best. They want to stay in business. No one wants to have any outbreak associated with their business.”

Boise Fry Co. constantly reevaluates its policies and procedures, marketing director Andrew Hanebutt said. He believes that other local restaurants are being similarly conscientious.

“Everyone wants to make sure they’re doing right by their community,” Hanebutt said. “We don’t want to break that trust. I don’t think any restaurant around here would want to do that.”

To minimize touched surfaces, Boise Fry Co. has stopped accepting cash at its six Treasure Valley locations. A portable card reader prevents credit or debit cards from changing hands — and it gets wiped down after each use, Hanebutt added. Restaurant lobbies have been shut down to customers.

“We’re changing gloves every time we interact with a customer,” he said. “Literally, we don’t get very close to customers anymore. We’re honoring walk-up right now, but we plan to, within the next few days — a week at most — be completely online and phone. We’re always encouraging customers to place their orders over the phone, online or through Uber Eats or DoorDash.”

‘Zero contact’

Worried about whether your favorite restaurant or deli is taking COVID-19 seriously?

There are things you can look for, Ferney said.

Restaurants should no longer offer tables, chairs or seating to customers.

Signs should indicate that restaurants are only doing takeout and delivery. Signs also should remind customers to practice social distancing.

Self-service stations for condiments or beverage filling should not be available. Those items should be provided by staff, Ferney said.

When food establishments follow these kinds of recommendations from Central District Health, it isn’t just proper protocol — it reassures informed patrons.

“Today, for example, I went to Boise Co-op and a self-service station was not available,” Ferney said. “There were no condiments, no plastic forks, knives — no plasticware available. So you know that they’re exercising best practice. They’re taking it seriously.”

Boise Fry Co. even got rid of its popular array of salts and sauces for customers to pillage, Hanebutt said.

Instead, employees salt the fries and supply sauces after customers make their selections.

“We put them in the bag for them,” he said. “Put them on a table that’s separating us and the customer, and then we’ll pretty much step away, and they’ll come grab their food. So zero contact with the customer.”

Interested in a restaurant’s pre-coronavirus track record? You can look up past inspections at Central District Health’s website.

A violation that would be concerning during the coronavirus pandemic — “Food worker with discharge from eyes, nose and/or throat” — is not often encountered, Myron said. “Generally, establishments are pretty good with not letting food workers come in with discharge. This is one of the basic provisions of any illness policy, even a simple one.”

‘Heightened awareness’

Even with painstaking precautions during the pandemic, restaurants are run by humans.

Kitchens are notoriously small. It makes it hard for employees to social distance. Boise Fry Co. staffers work at separate stations. They try to avoid each other. But staying six feet apart isn’t always realistic.

“There’s always going to be a crossed path,” Hanebutt said. “It’s literally impossible.”

“There’s no such thing as a perfect system. I think everyone knows that.”

Still, Hanebutt ordered out from Boise restaurants three or four times last week, he said. Not only did he want to support other local businesses, he felt “absolutely” safe.

Deciding whether to order from restaurants winds up being a personal choice, Myron said.

Some Idahoans will feel confident. Some won’t. Even if they notice a Central District Health worker ordering lunch there.

“They are kind of caught in that spot of, ‘Hey, I want to support these restaurants, but am I putting myself at risk?’ ” Myron said. “They do kind of have to weigh those two sides — but know that we are out there. We have a presence. And what we find in all circumstances is most restaurants really want to do the right thing. Certainly right now, it’s safe to say their awareness is heightened.”

This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 6:00 AM.