Coronavirus FAQ: Package Delivery Safety

Many of us are (trying to) take advantage of online shopping for household staples and basics in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic in an attempt to minimize outings to the grocery store or elsewhere. This is definitely a great idea, but scientists are also recommending taking precautions with your deliveries. 

Coronaviruses are generally thought to spread primarily through respiratory droplets (saliva, mucus dispersed in the air from coughing and sneezing) and can live in the air for 3 hours, but can also remain infectious for a period of time on various surfaces as well, including cardboard (see also: lessons learned from infectious disease expert). In a study designed to mimic and measure viral transmission, researchers detected the coronavirus 2-3 days post exposure on plastic and stainless steel surfaces and 24 hours post-exposure on cardboard.

Although neither the CDC nor the WHO offer specific recommendations regarding packages, since it’s technically possible for the coronavirus to live on cardboard for up to a day, there are some measures you could take to introduce an extra layer of protection:

• Leave the package alone (don’t touch/retrieve it) for 24 hours (or bag it and leave it for 24 hours… or leave it for even a couple of hours);
• Open deliveries outside your home/apartment and dispose of packaging immediately, then wash your hands right away; 
• Disinfect small packages or mailers with a lysol wipe

As an example, I recently opened a package in the following steps: I let the package sit outside for half a day, then propped open the front door, opened the package outside on my stoop, emptied the contents into the front hall, broke down the box (still outside) and put the materials in the recycling bin, went inside and washed my hands, and then went to retrieve the contents from the front hall and close my front door.

Yes, it was a process. But as one of the doctors on the front lines in China intimated in an educational webinar for physicians around the world: With this disease, there is no such thing as too careful. You can’t overreact.

The good news — unlike bacterias, coronaviruses don’t multiply outside of a human host, and they are relatively easy to kill, which is part of why public health experts are urging us to disinfect high-touch surfaces regularly and wash hands frequently. 

But even without being formally disinfected, viruses will degrade over time — they’re vulnerable to the elements. In a Washington Post article, one of the scientists from the above study ^^ explained that concerns about “surface transmission” deteriorate over time, with the highest risk for transmission from touching an infected surface being somewhere between the first ten minutes to two hours.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the NIAID director and a member of the national coronavirus Task Force, also noted that “if you start thinking about money and mail and things like that, you can almost sort of immobilize yourself, which I don’t think is a good idea.” 

In short — it can’t hurt to be overly cautious with any deliveries you recieve, but maybe it’s somewhat reassuring to know that surface transmission is not the primary mechanism by which the coronavirus is spreading and that simple measures can help you protect your family and your home. 

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