Coronavirus in packages from China: hoaxes

can a package sent from China infect me with the coronavirus? With the appearance of the first cases of COVID-19 infection in Spain, this is one of the doubts that have become more recurrent among the population, especially among fans of shopping on Aliexpress and Shein. Google queries and posts on social networks reflect this concern. Just look at how Google searches for the term “coronavirus china packages” have skyrocketed in recent weeks:

Fears that online orders shipped from the Asian giant are contributing to the spread of the disease have put packaging in the spotlight, so RAJA® wants to do our bit to debunk the hoax and tell you the truth about coronavirus and packages from China.

Seriously, could a package give you COVID-19?

The truth is that it is safe to receive a package from China, and that a letter or parcel sent from the epicentre of the pandemic could spread the coronavirus is nothing more than a hoax, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has been quick to explain:

q: Is it safe to receive a letter or a package from China?
A: Yes, it is safe. People receiving packages from China are not at risk of contracting #2019nCoV.
From previous analysis, we know coronaviruses do not survive long on objects, such as letters or packages.#KnowTheFacts pic.twitter.com/RBBqjkd5JQ

– World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) February 1, 2020

According to WHO, “people receiving parcels from China are not at risk of contracting the new coronavirus. From previous studies, we know that coronaviruses do not survive for long in objects such as letters and parcels.”

“The likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial items is low, and the risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus from contact with a package that has been handled, transported and exposed to different conditions and temperatures is also low,” concludes the WHO.

The rumour of COVID-19 travelling in goods from China has also been the subject of attention by the fact-checkers at Maldita.es, who have gathered the available information on this and other coronaviruses in the same family to draw conclusions about the chances of the pathogen surviving outside of a living organism.

As any Aliexpress addict knows, record time deliveries are not the strong point of this marketplace, which is known for its unbeatable prices. So, in short, when a hypothetical infected package from China arrives in your hands, the coronavirus will no longer be able to harm you. After several weeks of travelling around the world, subjected to constant changes in temperature and humidity, it will be dead and well and truly dead.

what precautions can you take to keep yourself safe from the coronavirus?

So far, the European authorities have not decreed any special measures concerning the international movement of goods, nor any additional surveillance for orders from China in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The only noticeable incidence – and not because COVID-19 is colonising packages – is the delay in shipments, due to the quarantine of staff and the forced production stoppages that a large number of companies in the Asian country are suffering.

The WHO insists that the best precaution to prevent the spread of the coronavirus is to wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based disinfectant. Other recommendations to prevent the disease issued by this agency are:

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or with a flexed arm when coughing or sneezing.
Keep at least one metre of distance when interacting with people with respiratory symptoms.
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.
Seek medical attention if you experience fever, cough and shortness of breath.
Stay at home when you have mild respiratory symptoms until they subside.

The Ministry of Health explains the basic rules in this infographic: