You’re probably no stranger to online shopping. However, online shopping and receiving your parcels in Covid-19 times in something different, something that no one was quite prepared for.
With safe distancing measures in place, companies with delivery services have since taken precautions to reduce the risk of transmission, such as leaving deliveries outside the house and having limited to no physical contact with the recipients.
The virus is known to transmit via respiratory droplets and touching your face after being in contact with contaminated surfaces puts you at risk.
Being in a female-dominated company, one of the questions that was first asked in the office during the outbreak was: “Are our online shopping delivery packages safe from the coronavirus?” and “Will we have to disinfect them?”
Over the weeks, we’ve learnt that the virus can remain active on various surfaces for longer periods of time, depending on the temperature and humidity. According to National Institutes of Health researchers, they found that the coronavirus lived longest on stainless steel and polypropylene, with the virus lasting up to three days. As for cardboard, it can survive for up to 24 hours.
In a post shared on Singpost’s Facebook page, the company states that “coronaviruses typically cannot survive the shipping periods”, and that “there is currently no evidence or cases to show that the Covid-19 is transmitted through imported goods.”
But if you’re still feeling unsafe from the multiple hands the package has gone through just to get delivered to your doorstep, Huffpost has shared some tips for those who are kiasi.
