Is it safe to receive packages from China or other COVID-19 affected countries?
We are strong powerful beings and we need not be afraid during these times. Each day we must reignite the courage within us and protect ourselves and our loved ones from COVID-19. We can take a number of steps to protect ourselves as recommended by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
We also wanted to address COVID-19 in relation to ordering packages online from our store or other retailers generally.
We have multiple warehouses around the world. Depending on your location, you may be receiving your shipment from a COVID-19 affected country (likely as many of the countries in the world are in this category, and this list drafted by the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) is constantly changing).
In the situation that your package may be shipped out from one of the COVID-19 affected countries, there is no cause for concern. It is safe as the virus can not survive on inanimate objects due to the conditions that packages go through during shipment and transit, and so it does not spread by mail. The virus needs a host to spread long term.
- According to Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, Senior Scholar, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, there's no reason to worry about packages shipped from China or anywhere else outside of the U.S. He explains that “[t]he temperature of the air surrounding the packages and projects during shipping is not considered conducive to viral viability ... transit conditions are not conducive to the virus remaining viable, given that it takes a special combination of environmental conditions for a virus to remain viable (lack of UV exposure, specific temperatures, specific humidity, et cetera) that is not readily achieved in shipping.”
- If people are ordering internationally, contracting the virus is even less of a concern, said Xi Chen, assistant professor of public and global health and economics at the Yale School of Public Health and Michael Merson, a dean’s special adviser at the New York University School of Global Public Health. They explain that viruses similar to the coronavirus, such as SARS and MERS, like low temperatures and low humidity, which aren’t consistent in transit.
- This message is echoed by the WHO (World Health Organization), CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and NHS (National Health Service is the publicly funded healthcare system of the United Kingdom), which uses the behaviors of SARS and MERA, two other types of coronavirus, as guidance for 2019-nCoV.
- "In general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures,” the CDC’s FAQ states.
- “Coronaviruses are generally thought to be spread most often by respiratory droplets. Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of 2019-nCoV associated with imported goods, and there have not been any cases of 2019-nCoV in the United States associated with imported goods,” the CDC writes.
- The WHO also addressed the question in one of their tweets (please also see below): “Is it safe to receive a letter or a package from China?” WHO said it is safe to receive a letter or a package from China and tweeted: “People receiving packages from China are not at risk of contracting 2019n-CoV. From previous analysis, we know coronaviruses do not survive long on objects, such as letters or packages.”
We hope this info helps, but please let us know if you have any questions at all! :)
Take care always!
Your Tiny Waist Fam'