Even as restaurants dial back to take-out only operations across the country, some people may still find themselves wondering how safe is takeout, really? The good news is that, according to “Forbes,” experts conclude that the risk of contracting COVID-19 by ordering takeout food is low.

Theoretically, the chef at your favorite restaurant has been trained to avoid touching their face, regularly disinfect, and wash their hands frequently, all measures that are proven to limit the spread of the virus. Furthermore, even if the virus were to make it into your food, somewhere in the process of cooking and eating, it will likely be killed.

Most viruses are inactivated when exposed to heat, and there is no evidence the virus spreads on cold foods, either, but one way to minimize your risk of infection when ordering take out is to focus on hot prepared foods. Our greatest risk of infection comes when we inhale the coronavirus directly into our respiratory tracts, which means that having direct person-to-person contact presents a much greater risk of transmission than ordering take-out. Even if the virus makes it through the cooking process, there is reason to believe that high acidity environments like the stomach can disrupt and damage the coronavirus, rendering most viral particles that enter the digestive system inactive.

Ordering take-out is not without risk, but if you follow the guidelines set forth by the CDC about hand hygiene and disinfecting outer packaging, you should be able to enjoy take-out without undue risk.