Sometimes when writing to good friends who understand my sense of humor, Iāll write on their letter or card āI made sure to lick your stamps and envelope myself for that extra personal touch.ā
Around 2011 or 2012, when my sister was living in a student dormitory, she cautioned me not to write anything too personal on the postcards I sent to her because her friends were working as resident assistants in the dorm and could handle/read her mail.
I soon responded with several postcards that started with āIām currently really sick with the flu or mono so you might not want to eat my postcards this timeā¦ā
Honestly, of all the ways to get sick, postcards arenāt really high on that list.
When I helped a friend put stamps on 300+ envelopes, we both got sick from licking too many stamps and envelopes, but that wasnāt viral or bacterial.
I heard the news that some cases of outer packing of frozen products carry the COVID19 virus and infect people.Is winter now,the weather will be more colder,the the surface of the cards will much like the outer packing of frozen products.So will the postcards or letters carry with virus infect people?
From what I understand but I am nowhere near a professional, the virus can stay alive for a couple of days on not-living surfaces. So , assuming your post takes a few days to travel it would be safe to open. If you feel doubtful you can put it aside a couple of days and then open it?
The virus might be able to survive for a while on postcards, so teoretically, thereās a chance of getting infected. But if one cleans the hands after touching the mail and avoid touching the face before the hands are washes, it will most likely not be a problem.
Itās very unlikely - fomite transmission has been very, very low (transmission by touching objects). Also the virus is not super robust, most of our mail has been travelling for many days & in many cases weeks before it arrives, so itās unlikely to have survived all that time.
If youāre extra concerned, just make sure to wash your hands after you receive it.
Here, Dr. Emanuel Goldman of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School states: āIn my opinion, the chance of transmission through inanimate surfaces is very small, and only in instances where an infected person coughs or sneezes on the surface, and someone else touches that surface soon after the cough or sneeze (within 1ā2 h). I do not disagree with erring on the side of caution, but this can go to extremes not justified by the data.ā
Transmission via āfomitesā (touching surfaces and objects) is not the primary mode of transmission. But, as Dr. Goldman says, it is still wise to wash your hands frequently, especially before touching your face.
Thank you for the advice.You know.In China,it already happened cases of infected by surface of frozen products.So by the weather getting cold.People need to wash your hand after touch the cards or letters.Millions of people dead because of the COVID.
Youāre welcome! I did not know about the recent infections in Qingdao. I found a Reuters article about it shared by several world news outlets; it mentions that there seems to be some doubt as to whether the dock workers were infected directly by the food packaging, or whether they had been infected prior. Here is a quote from the article:
"The CDC [the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention] said no instance had been found of any consumer contracting the virus by having contact with frozen food and the risk of this happening remained very low.
Nonetheless it advised that workers who handle, process and sell frozen products should avoid direct skin contact with products that could possibly be polluted." (Liu/Munroe, Reuters)
I understand your being worried, because scientists are continuing to learn new things about the virus, and it is frustrating not to be certain that you are protecting yourself. Iām worried, too.
Regarding postcards, though, you are right: you can wash your hands after handling them. (I do. ) Even if it seems unnecessary or silly to some people, if it lowers your anxiety, do it! It never hurts to have clean hands, anyway!
Yea,you are right,And new case in TianJin China today: a worker who process the frozen products at dock infect the COVID19,the outer packing test positive of the COVID.So every one need to make serious on this,is real.
Your skin can attract eczema if you wash them too often
Iāve had this before, my skin is very delicate, it is sore and inflamed right now as well. I cannot disinfect my hands and I cannot wash them a thousand times a day either. I even have special soap that is not as aggressive
But I work and study from home alone and donāt meet people anymore apart from my housemates and at the supermarket, so I donāt think Iām a danger to anyone.
As far as I understand, you wonāt have complete assurance that the mail is without virus. But the amounts that are transmitted that way are so tiny that a normal person doesnāt have cause for worry. I think the only ones who have a cause to be wary of their mail are those whose immune system is practically dead and maybe the postal workers since they handle masses of mail
And anyway, you as the receiver donāt really have reason to fear that the sender might have had covid. What could do you in is if your postman sneezes on the card just before they hand it to you
Itās a similar situation to buying stuff at the supermarket, no? Other people touched it before, too. Are you afraid of a package of cookies that you buy at a supermarket, too? If you are, then yes, the same applies to mail.
Otherwise, I think, you donāt have to fear.
Usually, postcards and letters are not wet and frozen. Frozen food (which is supposed to be frozen all the time; the product is ruined if it thaws) and a dock worker (who handles masses) is altogether a very different situation than you receiving one or two postcards that are accidentally wet or even frozen. You donāt have to be afraid of your mail
@aegisW Where you live, is it common that mail is frozen when it arrives in your letterbox? Iām not a virologist but in that case you can make sure that your mail is safe if you let it thaw and dry and wait for a few days, right? Then you canāt be more sure that there is nothing left to worry.
Can you even read your mail if it arrives wet? (Iāll remember to only use waterproof pens to you from now on, thank you for bringing this to my attention.)
I live in Beijing China.You know is nearly 0ā now here.(Maybe in Deutschland same Temperatureļ¼And somwtimes I got the letter in wet.I donāt know why.Maybe is rain or something else.I always wash my hands after I touch the letter now.Amyway.Be careful at this Period of second wave of COVID19.
Weāre faar from zero or subzero temperatures here due to our mild maritime weather! (11Ā°C at my place right now) I think thatās why weāre so surprised by the fact that itās āreal winterā at your place already.
As far as Iāve understood it, the virus survives a shorter time when the temperature is low. So the cold of the winter should be a benefit.
If itās below 0Ā°C and the mailbox is outside, and the postcard is in the mailbox for a few hours before you pick it up, the postcard should be frozen, shouldnāt it?!
To pinknoodle: The WAG stamps (Water activatedd gum) are extinct in the USPS.however stamp dealers and sellers on eBay, Amazon and Etsy do sell and carry the lick and stick and sell them for a profit. They also sell old designs that have been destroyed or discontinued of PSA stamps (Pressure sensitive adhesive) as well.
I canāt remember such a case but I guess it is different for you! Is the mail really frozen stiff?
Even if it snows here, my mail has gotten wet occasionally but it was never encased in ice. Oh my, thinking more about it, can letterboxes be frozen shut, too?