How to prevent bringing COVID-19 home after a trip to the grocery store

A question on a lot of people's minds as we try to stop the spread of COVID-19 is, if you have to go out, how do you safely re-enter your home and lower the risk of bringing the virus with you?

ABC asked Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a researcher who studies viruses from Columbia University, how she disinfects after a trip to the grocery store.

She says the process actually starts when she leaves the store.

"I sit down [in my car], get my hand sanitizer...sanitize away," she said.

When she gets home, her immediate routine has a focus.

"Before I've touched anything, I'm going to wash my hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water," Rasmussen said.

She says coats, purses and fabrics don't need any special treatment.

"There have not been any reports of coats or clothing being a transmission risk for COVID-19," she said.

However, she does think about her phone.

"Phones are a potentially higher risk of transmission because they are in close proximity to both your hands and your nose and mouth," she said.

She recommends cleaning phones with disinfectant wipes or alcohol when you get home.

But what about changing clothes or washing your hair?

Rasmussen said the risk is pretty low unless you had direct contact with someone very sick.