Yes, the virus only survives on paper for upto 24 hours, but we touch it only moments before it's put through the door!

[christiani]

I’m a postman at the moment, and the situation at RM worries me every day. Yes, the articles do say that the virus “only stays on cardboard for upto 24 hours”, but people are failing to realise that the letters and parcels need to be sorted, right along the whole process to the customer’s doorstep.

In the morning, before it’s delivered, a letter will be touched by a sorter on the office, then by the postman delivering it (not always the same person who sorted it). When it comes to Special Delivery items, they can be touched by 3 or 4 people in the morning before being delivered only a few hours later.

It sounds anal, but if you’re in a high risk category, RM need to be telling you to leave your mail alone for at least 12!hoirs before touching it. Yes, the virus rapidly declines on cardboard, but you never know.

Also, RM released their usual tripe about caring about us and the customers, but why aren’t they implementing simple changes, such as asking customers to leave their gates open (if possible to), in order that we don’t have to touch them on the way to the doorsteps? It’s such a simple thing, and could stop us transmitting the virus onto a material that it WILL stay on for more than 24 hours.

Sorry for the rant, but is anyone else this worried?

[Woody Guthrie]

All of the guidelines on how long the virus survives on surfaces became redundant the minute the virus entered the country.

The simple and most sensible advice to anyone is that you should assume any surface is potentially contaminated.

And I agree with you, all this bollocks about 24 hours and 72 hours and porous and non porous surfaces has only confused the issue.

Customers should have been warned from the start and told to either wear gloves when handling mail then dispose of the lot or at least wash your hands after handling.

If you were cynical you would think..... etc

[SpacePhoenix]

Mech letters in a MC could well be handled by half a dozen people:

* Cut & tip person
* Feeder on IMP/iLSM
* Person on the stackers
* CSS operator if sequenced on a CSS machine (possibly by two people if someone takes over during a batch)
* 2 x person on feed (if sequenced on an IMP/iLSM)
* 2 different people on the stackers (if sequenced on an IMP/iLSM) - depending on where the letter comes out each pass)

[poisonpostie]

I get your point but everybody in our office wears gloves so just dont touch your face and i tell all my customers to bin all packaging envelopes plastic or paper and wash their hands common sense really.

[Aardvark]

I think part of the problem is that it's a new virus. A lot of what they have said is based on other types of coronavirus but we are also told they are all unique.

We are getting completely mixed messages as to how long it survives on what. One expert says one thing another contradicts them.

When they went to clean one of those cruise ships traces of the virus were found either 17 or 19 days after the passengers and crew disembarked. That's a lot longer than 3 days.

Anything can be contaminated. A lot of mail is in plastic bags.It's not all paper. It all gets intermingled in the bag. The virus spreads.

In short as Woody Guthrie said "assume any surface is potentially contaminated."

[daveyeff]

its also very difficult to remember to not touch your face. you do it unconsciously, ..scratching your nose, rubbing your eye wiping your mouth etc. its mentioned in the film 'contagion' people touch their face up to 2 to 3 thousand times a day, 3 to 5 times every waking minute. its practically impossible to stop doing it.