Hectic parking lots, long lines, empty shelves and congested aisles: This is your guide to grocery shopping in the dawn of toilet paper hoarders and sanitizer smugglers.

Aside from the standard ‘cover your mouth’ and ‘wash your hands’ precautions, being community-minded will go a long way to help protect you, your family and your community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Step 1: Don't panic.

Hysteria is just as infectious as the coronavirus, and not productive. Take some deep breaths and focus on the silver linings, like, you can totally justify working from home in your pjs next week. And probably the week after that.

Step 2: Make a list

What better way to ensure a quick trip to the grocery store than to plan ahead?

For most, making a list isn’t out of the ordinary, but it’s worth reinstating as a big way to make your shopping more efficient. Make a list and have a clear understanding of the things you need before you venture out.

Trust me – grocery shopping today is not a leisurely sport. Get in, get your groceries, and get out.

Step 3: Bring your own bags

Bringing your own bags is a small and easy move you can make to do your part in reducing plastic pollution and encouraging the reuse mentality.

It also saves you a little change, and in this period of panic shopping, the gesture keeps the stores from running out of bags for those who don’t have other options. Not to mention, they're one less thing other people have touched if they come from home.

Step 4: Navigate the parking lot safely

At some stores, grocery shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic is just as stressful as shopping during the holidays or the day before Thanksgiving. A little compassion can go a long way.

When entering a grocery store parking lot, drive slowly and be hyper-aware of your surroundings - watch for pedestrians, use your signal so other drivers can anticipate your direction, and be considerate; everyone’s dealing with the same situation and it’s going to take a collaborative effort to get through it smoothly.

Step 5: Be a conscious pedestrian

Safety in the parking lot works both ways, so be a conscious pedestrian.

Watch out for vehicles, use the marked crosswalks, and don’t leave your shopping cart where it’s a danger or obstruction to traffic.

Step 6: Keep your distance

When shopping, it may be difficult to avoid the busy canned food aisle that everyone’s congesting to stock up on non-perishables, but social distancing is one of the top ways we have to work together to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Be patient: Wait until the aisle is less busy before entering and try to maintain a two-metre distance between yourself and other shoppers.

This is one of the main preventative measures set out by our public health agencies.

Step 7: Don’t buy more than you need

This is one of the most important steps, because it impacts everyone in your community, and likely many people that you know.

Remember: The more you buy, the less there is for everyone else. Protecting yourself and your family means leaving enough food, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies and yes - toilet paper - for the other shoppers.

Many grocery stores are implementing limits on how much you can buy to discourage hoarding, and this is a great way of ensuring that every household is equally prepared.

Step 8: Be mindful of your hands

By the end of your grocery journey, your hands have touched many things; food items, your shopping cart or basket, refrigerator door handles, the debit machine…

We know you've been told to wash them frequently and thoroughly, to cover your mouth with your arm when coughing or sneezing, and to avoid touching your face.

These rules are worth repeating, and are especially important when grocery shopping.

Your community thanks you.