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How to properly handle Amazon delivery boxes and orders during the coronavirus pandemic
As quarantine and “shelter-in-place” orders become more commonplace, Americans will be relying on delivery services more than ever before. Sure, grocery stores and pharmacies are planning to stay open, but ordering supplies online is still the best way to avoid exposure to COVID-19 if you are following recommends to stay home.
But a new study released by the National Institutes of Health shows online orders aren’t 100% risk-free. Is it safe to handle mail and packages? The coronavirus is capable of sticking to surfaces for up to three days, which makes disinfecting extremely important. Tap or click to see the best disinfectants you can use, according to the EPA.
If you’re planning on ordering online from shipping services like Amazon, here’s what you need to know about handling your packages, cleaning them and making sure they’re safe enough to bring into your home.
What’s going on?
The National Institutes of Health reports the SARS-COV2 virus that causes COVID-19 is capable of clinging to surfaces for a longer period of time than originally thought. The virus can be found in aerosol particles for up to three hours, can cling to cardboard for up to 24 hours and can stick to plastic and stainless steel for up to three days, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
Previously, researchers assumed respiratory droplets were the primary vector of infection. But this new knowledge, as well as the fact that infected people can display no symptoms at all, shows there is so much more we can do to protect ourselves and our loved ones.
MUST READ: Wash your hands frequently! It’s essential to staying healthy. Here’s a clever way to remind yourself, or your kids, to do it throughout the day.
It also presents a new set of challenges for one of the most important services we’ve come to rely on: delivery. Luckily, there are steps you can take to make sure the packages you receive are safe enough to bring indoors. Tap or click to see some of the coronavirus-killing items you can order online.
Get serious about sanitizing
If you order a package from Amazon or another shipping service, the first thing you should do is make sure the delivery person leaves it at your doorstep or in a package locker (if your community has one). This reduces face-to-face interaction and person to person spread, which is key in our widespread social distancing effort to flatten the curve of infection.
When ordering from Amazon, you can leave special delivery instructions during checkout. On either the Select a shipping address or Review your order page, choose Add delivery instructions and simply say you want your package in the mailbox, on your doorstep or some other specific location.
Once three hours have passed, you’ve reduced the chance of contacting any aerosol particles from the delivery person.
Second, you’ll want to assess what kind of package you’re dealing with. If you receive a cardboard box, you should handle it with gloves (if possible) and place it in a safe, secure outdoor location — like a backyard, patio or balcony — for 24 hours. If it’s a plastic package or bag, you’ll want to leave it in your secure location for up to three days.
When you’re done, wash up. Hand sanitizer is fine if you’re on the go, but you really need to wash thoroughly with soap and water.
After a day, put on a fresh pair of gloves and wipe down the box or bag. If you have disinfecting wipes on hand, use them. If you don’t, a paper towel moistened in 70% isopropyl alcohol will do the trick. You can use 90% alcohol, too, but you need to dilute it.
Give the items in your box a wipedown, too. Throw out all the packaging, gloves and whatever you used to disinfect, then wash your hands again. Now your order is ready to come inside.
INFO YOU CAN TRUST: I scoured the internet for videos with trustworthy coronavirus symptoms and prevention tips and came up short. So we created our own. Watch it and share it with your loved ones.
No time to waste
Not everyone can afford to wait a few days for supplies. Some items, like grocery deliveries, must be opened right away. This is where you need to proceed with caution. If you treat your package carefully, you can open it safely. Here’s how:
- Just like with non-perishables, put on gloves and wipe down the box with a disinfectant wipe.
- Remove the contents and leave the box or packaging outside. Any outer packaging should be removed and thrown directly into the trash before storing perishables in your fridge.
- Thoroughly wash any fresh fruits or veggies with soapy water, and rinse thoroughly.
Once you’re finished, avoid touching or interacting with family members and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm-to-hot water for 20 seconds. This will kill any traces of virus left on your hands. Tap or click to see some of the other things you should sanitize aside from your hands.
These steps may seem extreme, but following these guidelines is a surefire way to stifle infection. We need to be vigilant in preventing the transmission of the virus, and the more people who put the effort into doing so, the safer the general population will be from disease.
Just like during the World wars, this is a time where every American has a duty to help themselves and their neighbors. Only this time, we’re not filing into factories and laboring to make shells. All we need to do is stay clean and remain indoors. That’s not too difficult, right?
Tags: Amazon, cleaning, coronavirus, COVID-19, delivery services, disinfecting, gloves, hand, internet, online orders, pandemic, prevention, quarantine, sanitizing, social distancing
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