As the coronavirus pandemic changes everyday life for all, newspaper readers can rest easy in the knowledge that holding a printed edition in their hands is safe.
According to the World Health Organization, “the likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, traveled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also advised consumers that coronavirus had “a very low risk” of spreading on packages, newspapers, and other mail due to the “poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces.”
Newspapers have continued to publish even in the worst-hit areas of the world, including Italy and China. Experts from the WHO say it is safe to receive packages such as newspapers, even from areas which have reported cases of COVID-19.
Virologist George Lomonossof told BBC Radio Scotland: “Newspapers are pretty sterile because of the way they are printed and the process they’ve been through [to be produced].”
For the same reason, many other items that are delivered to your home during the stay-at-home order, such as groceries, also pose a low risk of spreading the coronavirus.
The disease can spread when a person with coronavirus coughs or exhales, expelling droplets from their nose or mouth that can land on objects and surfaces, and other people touch these objects or surfaces and then touch their eyes, nose or mouth.
For this reason, the WHO suggests people practice safety measures such as washing their hands, and not touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
First Published: March 27, 2020, 3:44 p.m.
Updated: March 27, 2020, 4:32 p.m.
