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Disinfecting packages and sending postcards in advance are among the scientists’ recommendations for those wishing to take extra precautions for the coronavirus this Christmas.
Medical experts said the risk of spreading the coronavirus through the mail is “very low” as laboratory experiments suggest it can live on packaging materials such as cardboard for up to 24 hours.
Research published by the Australian national science agency CSIRO in October showed that the virus can last up to four weeks on cell phone screens and banknotes, but has a much shorter survival on porous surfaces like paper.
Dr Lena Ciric, who specializes in molecular biology and described her work as “watching where microbes are hiding,” recommended sending gifts to family and friends “in early December” so they have time to quarantine packages for “a few more days”.
“If grandmothers are worried, they can always clean things up and then it should be fine,” he added.
Dr Ciric, a professor of environmental engineering at UCL, said the coronavirus thrives in “cold and dry” conditions such as warehouses and trucks where packages are stored, but transit time will make a “big difference” to survival. of the virus.
He said: “The likelihood that a gift or card mailed from an infected person contains enough virus to cause an infection is very low.
“I think there won’t be enough stuff on the gift at the time of the contamination, let alone the moment it arrives.”
Respiratory Medicine Specialist Professor Ashley Woodcock, who is also Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the University of Manchester, recommended a disinfection procedure.
He said: “If Grandma gets a lot of Christmas cards, what will she do?
“If I were an elderly person I would handle Christmas cards with gloves and put them on a radiator for a few minutes.”
He added: “(To receive gifts), I think people might have a bucket with detergent and a pair of Marigold gloves.
“They should accept the package wearing Marigolds and put it in an area or on a table, then wipe it with a cloth soaked in detergent, leave it for 30 minutes and then it’s very safe.”
A OnePoll survey commissioned by retailer John Lewis suggests that people are already planning Christmas earlier than usual this year.
About 70% of people said they plan to publish more or the same amount of Christmas cards this year than last, a trend supported by the increase in post card sales.
According to the 2,000-person survey conducted in October, more than 60% of shoppers plan to purchase gifts before December.
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