Parcel from hong kong and coronavirus in china

[G1Optimal]

Hi all have a parcel coming from hong kong and just wondering what i should do as the corona virus pandemic started to rear it ugly head in that area.
So i am wondering if it will be okay to receive it safely.

[1AZRAEL1]

I'm reminded of the Simpsons episode where someone coughs into a package that Homer ends up receiving. There's a meme out there with this current crisis.

I wouldn't know tbh, but if we start over cautious, where does it end?

[Omega Metro]

Lick it and see what happens?

[G1Optimal]

I'm reminded of the Simpsons episode where someone coughs into a package that Homer ends up receiving. There's a meme out there with this current crisis.

I wouldn't know tbh, but if we start over cautious, where does it end?


Lick it and see what happens?

Funny replys but have serious question

[1AZRAEL1]

That's why my second part of my reply is more serious. If you're that worried though, spray everything with disinfectant and wear a P2 mask while opening.

[Paulbot]

Not a doctor, obviously, but my understanding is that viruses don't tend to be able to live for long periods outside of living beings. Travel time of a parcel from HK to Australia feels like it would be long enough period. If you want to be extra cautious, and nothing wrong with that, collect it with gloves, wrap it in plastic and leave it alone for a few weeks and by then anything living in or outside the box should have died.

[dirge]

At the moment, the unnamed coronavirus in question is believed to be spread via animal to human contact... and as Paul said, they don't really survive too long outside of living things. So unless you're importing Hong Kong's wildlife or a live chicken you should be okay.

Also, Hong Kong isn't really China in this context. Separate customs territories. So there's also that.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Think about it: if the virus was able to be spread via packages, then they would also cease all mail traffic, on top of restricting population movements.

[DarkHyren]

It's an understandable concern due to governments downplaying the seriousness of the issue in order to reduce panic, and fear mongers over selling the seriousness of the situation for fun and profit.
Due to the way viruses spread it's highly unlikely that 2019-nCoV would last long on the surface of a parcel, at average temperatures respiratory viruses tend to be deactivated after a few days at most.

More information: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html#public-health-response
There's also general information on the AU governments health website https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov but the CDC page specifically addresses the concern about incoming mail.
You're honestly more likely to get 2019-nCoV from the mailman than from the parcel itself, but as I said it is an understandable concern.

If you're still worried, spray the box with a disinfectant spray and, if possible, allow it to dry for a few hours in direct sunlight on a hot day. Otherwise a few days in a hot room would be a good alternative.
The main things are heat and dryness, most viruses become inactive when the surface they are on has been dry for a few days and temperatures have been consistently above 30 degrees Celsius.

[G1Optimal]

Thanks all, well it is in australia now ( we are in for 3 days of hot weather in sydney )

i feel like just chucking it in the bin if anyone wondering what it is it is star wars r2d2 vc149

[Ethel_Hallow]

Thanks all, well it is in australia now ( we are in for 3 days of hot weather in sydney )

I feel like just chucking it in the bin if anyone wondering what it is it is star wars r2d2 vc149

I, would just leave it for a while somewhere isolated, do a little research on the virus; in general, some can survive outside the body on surfaces for days but then die off. The coronavirus is mostly spread via animal contact with humans. I wouldn't throw out your figures over this. If you're really really worried maybe ask at the doctors next time you're there before you open the package. I am sure that the medical doctors in practice are briefed on this virus as part of there employment and medical responsibilities.

I am not a doctor or scientist or anyone with medical or scientific knowledge; If it were me, I would ask at the doctors next time your there. Maybe even Australia post can assist you if you give them a call. I'm sure Aust post have already encountered this question to cover themselves they would have sought advice.

It's my opinion hope this helped.

[Ethel_Hallow]

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/alerts/Pages/coronavirus-faqs.aspx#1-3

I found this under the linke - I'm not an expert just found this on the NSW Government health page

How is the virus spread? Can I catch it?

Coronavirus experts think that it’s likely that the novel coronavirus originated in an animal species, and then spread to humans.

Person to person spread of the novel coronavirus is reported as occurring, but it is not yet understood how easily this happens.

Other human coronavirus strains are spread from person to person through contaminated droplets from a person who is sick with the illness (through coughing or sneezing) or contaminated hands, and generally occurs between people who are close contacts with one another. It is likely this novel coronavirus spreads the same way.

The novel coronavirus does not appear to last very long on surfaces. The risk of this virus being present on imported packages or products is negligible.

The best way to protect yourself is the same as you would against any respiratory infection. Practice good hygiene by:

making sure to clean your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand rub
cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing with tissue or a flexed elbow
avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms.
(NSW Government 2020).

[DarkHyren]

Research can definitely be of help in calming down fears over virus outbreaks. For example, coronaviruses (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronavirus) are what is known as an enveloped virus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_envelope).
An enveloped virus is a virus with a lipid coating that allows the virus to quickly bind to organisms, leading to infection, but the coating is also very fragile and easy to destroy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus_processing#Viral_inactivation).
Once that coating is destroyed, either through heat or disinfectants (even soap is generally enough to destroy it), the virus quickly dries out and becomes inactive, unable to infect or cause illness.

I could go into more detail and link page after page of information, but suffice to say that the chances of any virus particles being on your parcel, let alone 2019-nCoV ones, is virtually nil.
If you still want that extra peace of mind you can by all means follow the steps outlined in my previous post, just a few hours of direct sunlight on a 30°C day will destroy most any nasties.

Disclaimer time: I'm also no expert, I'm not a trained medical professional, but I have done my research on more than a few medical topics, both for peace of mind and to be better able to handle situations that have arisen.
If you are still concerned by all means go speak to a doctor, but in all likelihood they will say much of the same, that unless you have contact with an infected individual it's unlikely that you're at any risk.

Take it from me, we can definitely be our own worst enemies in these situations.

[reillyd]

Thanks all, well it is in australia now ( we are in for 3 days of hot weather in sydney )

i feel like just chucking it in the bin if anyone wondering what it is it is star wars r2d2 vc149

In that case I would keep it unopened for a few more weeks until the epidemic has spread more widely, and we all have nora corona virus and it's no longer a threat.

Seriously though, unless you're immunocompromisec and are generally healthy, this strain of corona doesn't present a serious risk. I am immunodeficient, and my GP told me that it doesn't present a health risk. Why people are dying at the moment is lack of access to medical care in China, or the elderly and infirm. Don't let media hype rob you of your enjoyment of the droids. These ARE the droids you're looking for

[Sinnertwin]

According to Robotkingdom, HK post have temporarily suspended their services.
Might be worth asking them what the dealio is if you have anything in transit/processing

[griffin]

According to Robotkingdom, HK post have temporarily suspended their services.
Might be worth asking them what the dealio is if you have anything in transit/processing

To limit the spread of the virus, the HK Government announced 3 days ago (https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202001/28/P2020012800310.htm) (JAN 28th) that employees at government agencies are to remain at home until FEB 2nd, by which the situation will be reviewed. HK Post then noted that this would mean (https://www.hongkongpost.hk/en/about_us/whats_new/press_release/index_id_647.html) that post offices won't be open during this time, and they wouldn't be doing pickups either.
So yeah... shopping from HK online stores since JAN 28th, will mean that the orders will not be posted until the HK government allows their workers to go back to public duties.

[DELTAprime]

Good thing Transformers are made in Vietnam. Too bad much of my other major hobby, PC hardware, is made in China.

[GoktimusPrime]

A video explaining what happens when you get infected by the coronavirus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTYfke545vI
TL;DW
unless you have a compromised immune system, then you'll pretty much have flu-like symptoms for just over a week and then get better. The majority of fatalities have been elderly people. More people die from the common cold, malaria and heart disease.
best ways to combat the spread of the virus; anyone who's recently come from China should be quarantined for a fortnight; indeed schools have told all students to stay home for fourteen days from the date of their return to Australia. The other one is hand washing. Carrying around a hand sanitiser might be a good idea.
But yeah, for most healthy individuals there's not much of a threat other than getting sick. But of course, we can become carriers of the virus and spread it to babies or the elderly, so it is a good idea to try and isolate this disease, but at the same time there's no need for panic either.

[G1Optimal]

Thank you , for the helpful advice.

[ZoonMaster5000]

Apparently it can?t survive contact with alcohol so something as simple as medi wipes which are 70% isopropyl alcohol or spray which you should find at the chemist. With gloves and a mask just to be safe, wipe it all down and it should be ok.

[G1Optimal]

Is putting it in a garbage bag and spraying it with glen 20 disinfectant spray enough?

[ZoonMaster5000]

Is putting it in a garbage bag and spraying it with glen 20 disinfectant spray enough?

Most likely, it?s active ingredient is ethanol which is a sugar alcohol so should do the job.

[G1Optimal]

Cool

[valkyrie_76]

The Boss and I were supposed to be heading to HK and Vietnam in March for a holiday but now she is worried about the virus especially in HK. For me personally, as long as you follow what they ask you to, it should be safe but nothing is 100%.

So either delaying the trip of the airlines lets us or cancelling the trip and wasting $1800 or go out when we supposed to and follow the recommended hygiene practice and try to enjoy ourselves.

[G1Optimal]

Claims that coronovirus in general can last up to 9 days on plastic, glass ,wood and metal and is assumed that the the 2019-ncov can to
https://7news.com.au/travel/coronavirus/coronavirus-study-reveals-disease-could-survive-on-metal-glass-plastic-for-extended-periods-c-691170

[DarkHyren]

Claims that coronovirus in general can last up to 9 days on plastic, glass ,wood and metal and is assumed that the the 2019-ncov can to
https://7news.com.au/travel/coronavirus/coronavirus-study-reveals-disease-could-survive-on-metal-glass-plastic-for-extended-periods-c-691170That's in ideal (for the virus) environmental circumstances. If you read further you will see that "tests also revealed the surfaces could be disinfected using agents containing ethanol, hydrogen peroxide or sodium hypochlorite."
So sure, if the situation is just right it can survive for longer periods of time, but if people follow any of the hygiene advice previously provided here there's less reason to worry about catching nCoV from contact with surfaces.
Contact transmission generally only happens when surfaces haven't been wiped down properly, so get some disinfectant surface spray, anti bacterial wipes, or bleach to wipe down surfaces that you are concerned about.
For things like toys or packaging you can even just put them in a hot dry room, one of the reasons the virus can last so long on surfaces is if the environment it's in has low temperatures and high air humidity, remove the moisture and up the temperature and it soon becomes inactive.

[Ralph Wiggum]

And...has there ever been a documented case of any sort of viral or disease outbreak caused through mail contact? A quick internet search says no.

By the time a package arrives on your doorstep, it has been through the most awful conditions not conducive to viral survival for days on end, including the postal processing centre overseas, the unpressurised cargo hold of a plane, yet another postal processing centre here, and in the back of a hot delivery van.

The Wuhan coronavirus isn't more resilient than any other virus out there. There are other viruses, diseases etc. that could also be transferred via mail the same as coronavirus, however because the mail process is such a poor vector for virus transmission, we never see mail services being halted to prevent any sort of outbreak.

What's more alarming about the coronavirus is that it spreads whilst the carrier is asymptomatic. The best prevention of viral outbreaks is isolation before the carrier becomes infectious, however people are spreading it person-to-person before they even realise they have it. I'd be less alarmed over parcels and more concerned over the potential lifting of the travel ban from China.

[GoktimusPrime]

If you're that worried about then just don't open your parcel for 9 days? :confused: Maybe when it arrives just wrap it up in a garbage bag and stick in your garage or shed until the quarantine period is over.

[G1Optimal]

If you're that worried about then just don't open your parcel for 9 days? :confused: Maybe when it arrives just wrap it up in a garbage bag and stick in your garage or shed until the quarantine period is over.

I already have i just posted that to inform people in case its true and there safety

Sorry about that

[Paulbot]

I already have i just posted that to inform people in case its true and there safety

Sorry about that

This is just to say

I have opened
the toys
that came in
the post

and which
you were probably
waiting
to decontaminate

Forgive me
they were good buys
no virus
and no cold

[G1Optimal]

Thats good news

[Paulbot]

Just to be clear, my post was a joke based on a popular twitter meme

[G1Optimal]

Oh