Coronavirus: Is it time to disinfect mail and packages?
April 6, 2020, 8:18 am

Coronavirus: Is it time to disinfect mail and packages?

An Amazon delivery person walks in Times Square following the outbreak of Coronavirus, in the Manhattan borough of New York City. (Reuters)

As more countries impose partial and full lockdowns to slow the spread of coronavirus, more people are likely to turn to online shopping as the ability to physically shop for goods becomes increasingly limited. Coronavirus

Is it now time to disinfect packages and mail from services like Amazon, and other local services such as Noon, when it arrives on the doorstep? Researchers and experts give competing answers.

COVID-19 can last up to three days on certain materials, a mid-March report from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UCLA, and Princeton University found.

A study by the New England Journal of Medicine on March 17 suggested that the virus could live up to a day on cardboard.

According to the World Health Organization, the risk of transmitting the virus through commercial goods is very low.

“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 WHO said in its Q&A on coronaviruses published last month.

In places like the United Arab Emirates, where a 24-hour restriction on movement has been imposed, except for essential tasks like going to the supermarket or pharmacy, the likelihood of people ordering perishable food items online through apps like Instafood and Amazon increases.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Q&A on coronaviruses, there is no evidence to suggest that food, food containers, or food packaging are linked to transmission of COVID-19. Coronavirus

“Like other viruses, it is possible that the virus that causes COVID-19 can survive on surfaces or objects. For that reason, it is critical to follow the four key steps of food safety—clean, separate, cook, and chill,” the FDA advised.

“If you are concerned about contamination of food or food packaging, wash your hands after handling food packaging, after removing food from the packaging, before you prepare food for eating and before you eat,” the FDA added in its guidelines.

According to the CDC, it may be possible for a person to contract COVID-19 by touching a surface or object, like a packaging container, that has the virus on it and then touching their face, but added that “this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.” Coronavirus

“In general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from food products or packaging,” the CDC added.

However, Jay Carney, Amazon's senior vice president of global corporate affairs, told CNN’s Jake Tapper that “there is evidence that the virus can live on packaging for some time."

According to Carney, Amazon has been advising customers to wipe down packages with disinfectant to ease their minds. If customers still feel unease over handling their packages, Amazon has advised people to leave the package outside for a time before bringing the package indoors and opening it. levant

source: Ismaeel Naar levant

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”