How long does the coronavirus live on surfaces – and is my Amazon package a risk?
Here’s a useful graphic from the New England Journal of Medicine that shows how long the coronavirus can stay on various hard materials. It should be helpful if you or your family members are out and about, using public transport, pushing trollies around supermarkets, or sharing any facilities with other people.
The graphic shows that the virus can live on cardboard for 24 hours. That has implications for home deliveries, although according to an article in Business Insider, Amazon parcels are unlikely to be a problem because of the way they are handled.
If you’ve organised deliveries for your parents, it might be worth thinking about the handling of the delivery itself. Would gloves help? Do you know what the delivery agent uses for protection themselves? It’s all about minimising risk.
