Online Deliveries Amid COVID-19: How Do You Play it Safe?
If you follow strict guidelines to stay at home most of the time and use this pandemic to self-isolate, more likely, you are using delivery services. You may be doing some online shopping to stock up on food or other essentials, or maybe to help cheer yourself up. Regardless of the reason for your indulgence, the big issue is that today’s crisis is happening way faster, according to financial media websites like The Basis Point. And one particular pressing problem is the safety of packages delivered to your home during this pandemic.
The good news is, the risk of spread from packaging is quite low. It means that you have a low chance of catching COVID-19 from something that has been transported within a few days, moved several times, and exposed to various temperatures and conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that at the moment, there is no evidence to verify COVID-19 transmission in relation to imported goods.
Proceed with caution
Nevertheless, it is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to relying on delivery services. Many experts believe that Coronavirus can survive on more porous objects like cardboard for 24 hours, even though it becomes less contagious throughout this period. On the other hand, the virus can last for 72 hours on steel or plastic. This signifies that any potential risk from a package inside a cardboard box reduces in a span of one day. So, you could stop yourself from unboxing non-essential deliveries for about 24 hours.
Wash your hands properly after handling
If the excitement is killing you and you cannot wait to open your parcel, make sure to throw the outer wrapping outside your house. After handling the package, immediately wash your hands. Also, use a disinfectant to wipe or wash off your items after unboxing them. Know the proper guidelines to handle meat, vegetable, and fruit deliveries safely. You may wear protective gloves when handling all your deliveries. After unwrapping or unboxing, dispose of the gloves and wash your hands.
On the other side, the one who is delivering your package must also be wearing protective gloves. Try to avoid making direct contact with them. Choose to pay online, so there is no need to hand over your card to another person or hand them some cash. While being extra stringent, do not forget to be respectful. They are the essential workers at this time of the pandemic, and they deserve respect and appreciation.
When it comes to food delivery services, many companies are providing their customers with contactless methods. What happens is that they will place your order on a clean surface outside your home, and you can get your food package from there. They will take a photo as proof and send the image to you. If you do not like how they handle your food order, you may send them back but do it in a nice manner. To avoid such a situation, ask the delivery service you are dealing with regarding their safety protocol. At these uncertain times, you want to deal with a company that is transparent with how they provide their services.
Rest assured that many companies are putting safety measures into place in accordance with the WHO and CDC guidelines. Also, a lot of websites such as The Basis Point are spreading awareness about how to pull through this pandemic.
