Can You Get Coronavirus From Packages?

The Coronavirus pandemic has people all around the world changing how they live their lives. Now, as many Americans move to self-isolation in the coming weeks, the shipping industry expects an uptick of package volume. However, consumers find themselves with a new worry of whether or not they can be infected with Coronavirus from touching package surfaces.

According to the WHO, Consumers Can’t Get Coronavirus from Packages

If you worry you might pick up COVID-19 from an international package, you can rest easy. Epidemiologists maintain that Coronavirus spreads mostly through respiratory droplets. That means that people get the virus through coughs, sneezes, and breaths from other infected individuals.

According to the WHO, the virus also has poor survivability on surfaces. International packages move and travel through a variety of different temperatures and conditions, and this makes it even more difficult for coronaviruses to survive on their surfaces. Therefore, consumers are at very low risk for getting the virus when handling packages or any goods inside of them.

The following is an excerpt from the FAQ’s on the World Health Organization website:

“…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. Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with imported goods, and there have not been any cases of COVID-19 in the United States associated with imported goods.”

So, consumers should feel safe receiving packages from anywhere in the world…even highly infected areas.

USPS is Still Maintaining Operations During the Pandemic

For anyone wondering if USPS plans on shutting down operations due to the pandemic, the answer is currently no. On March, USPS said the following:

“The Postal Service is continuing to monitor the circumstances around the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. Currently, we are not experiencing operational impacts as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic and we are using this time to review/revise our contingency plans should they be needed.”

As it currently stands, USPS has yet to rescind or change their statement, and business is still fully operational.

Visit the USPS website if you’d like to read the Postal Service’s full statement on COVID-19.