MRM.COM : Coronavirus outbreak : Mail handling and all other roles

[POSTMAN]

https://www.myroyalmail.com/news/2020/0 ... s-outbreak" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There has been an outbreak of Coronavirus/bird flu in China. This is a developing situation and it is being closely monitored.

The risk to the UK population has been assessed as low. Should this assessment change, the NHS is well prepared.

As with all mail handling and all other roles, good hand and personal hygiene should be maintained to minimise the risk of any infection of colds and flu which are very common at this time of year. Hands should always be washed before eating and any gloves worn for mail handling should be washed frequently.

Although the risk of infection is very low, while the situation is developing, disposable gloves can be made available to anyone handling large numbers of parcels or letters originating from this area of China who would like to wear them as an additional precaution.

Please speak to your manager if you would like access to disposable gloves.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will act on Public Health England advice, which is updated daily. We will provide further updates if the advice changes.

EDIT: To place an order for disposal gloves - order form on intranet - mark the subject as **URGENT**. Power free/Latex free/Rubber free.
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[POSTMAN]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-51176409" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Can the coronavirus be transferred through items bought from Wuhan and posted to UK?

There is no evidence this is a risk. Some diseases - including the coronavirus that causes Sars - can spread through surfaces contaminated by people coughing or sneezing on them.

It has not been shown this new coronavirus can do that. Even if it could, there would still be questions about whether international shipping would be a major problem.

Cold viruses tend to survive less than 24 hours outside the human body although norovirus (a severe stomach bug) can last months outside the body.

The most reassuring fact so far is that cases seem to require close contact with another person - say, a family member or healthcare worker - in order to spread.

[Woody Guthrie]

There has been an outbreak of Coronavirus/bird flu

Not the same thing at all.
Coronavirus is a cold virus, not as lethal as the flu usually but nasty because it's easier to spread than the flu, mutates more easily and there's many, many more strains of it which makes vaccination difficult.

That's why the Chinese are bricking it, a lethal cold virus is not to be sneezed at.

Bird flu is a totally different disease ffs.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

update sticky in Union Room

https://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communi ... 15&t=94088" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;