The global lockdown in effect because of the coronavirus outbreak will mean that for many, delivery is the way to go. People will depend on packages coming from Amazon and other service providers for their basic and daily needs. At the same time, they must ensure that these deliveries are safe from COVID-19. So how to that exactly?
First off, the likelihood of the killer virus lingering on a package delivery is not very high. Health experts in the United States said that while the bug could potentially infect a package in transit, the shipping conditions alone will most likely zap the threat away.
According to Business Insider, "there is very little risk associated with a package dropped off at your home."
If COVID-19 was able to cling on packages stubbornly, the spread of the virus would have been more widespread, and the report said the risk associated with deliveries "is incredibly low."
That was the assurance from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) echoed the same, that days of going through various locations and the shipping conditions would be hard for the virus to survive. It might be that contamination could occur along the way but the end receiver is deemed largely safe.
However, there is concern that same-day deliveries could be potentially more dangerous since COVID-19 is known to survive out in the open for more than two weeks. This fear, so far, is yet to be backed by hard evidence and CNET said that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an assurance that food deliveries are generally safe.
It wouldn't hurt though to observe extra safety measures when receiving and handling packages. It's a must to wear a mask during the process and keep a safe distance from the delivery personnel. And keeping that COVID-19 can rest on a surface for days, disinfecting a freshly arrived delivery before bringing it inside the house is not a bad idea.
Experts said spraying a 70 percent ethanol alcohol solution or a bleach solution will do the trick. It's best to wait for up to six minutes for the disinfectant to do its job then the package with a paper towel, which should be disposed of immediately.
The same procedure should be applied once the items have been unboxed and it's advisable to discard the outer box with haste and utmost care.
The last thing to do is the washing of hands with water and soap, a combo that is lethal to COVID-19. Medical professionals said doing this by at least 20 seconds will make sure that the virus will be obliterated and wash down to the drain.
