AliExpress-Coronavirus

BadTichelDay

Tue, Feb 04 2020, 2:37 am

I googled just that yesterday because I got a package from Amazon with jewellery that's made in China. According to Dr. Google viruses like the corona virus live on surfaces for up to a few hours. The package must have been traveling for over a week until it got here. I've decided to quarantine it in the trunk of the car for 48 hours anyway. Still pondering if I should be super cautious and keep it there longer or not. There is always that fine line between caution and hypochondriac madness...

Teomima

Tue, Feb 04 2020, 2:41 am

While yes theoretically it is transmittable via surfaces such as Chinese goods, keep in mind a: much of what you buy in your local stores also comes from China and b: the shipping time exceeds the incubation period. So by the time it actually gets to you, unless you were to say FedEx it, then any virus should be dead.

nchr

Tue, Feb 04 2020, 3:11 am

See https://www.cdc.gov/coronaviru......html

CDC wrote:

Q: Am I at risk for novel coronavirus from a package or products shipping from China?

There is still a lot that is unknown about the newly emerged 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and how it spreads. Two other coronaviruses have emerged previously to cause severe illness in people (MERS and SARS). 2019-nCoV is more genetically related to SARS than MERS, but both are betacoronaviruses with their origins in bats. While we don’t know for sure that this virus will behave the same way as SARS and MERS, we can use the information from both of these earlier coronaviruses to guide us. In general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures. Coronaviruses are generally thought to be spread most often by respiratory droplets. Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of 2019-nCoV associated with imported goods and there have not been any cases of 2019-nCoV in the United States associated with imported goods. Information will be provided on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus website as it becomes available.

Just realize that if the virus was so hot it could transferred by droplets on items shipped for days in a box that everyone in the world would probably be infected by now.

Teomima

Tue, Feb 04 2020, 6:56 am

amother [ Blush ] wrote:

the key words are: "currently there is no evidence..."

better safe than sorry

Again though, AliExpress aside, keep in mind half the items in your home are probably manufactured in China. Disposables, crayons, diapers, toilet paper, clothing, the list goes on.

It's unrealistic to expect to live without any goods imported from China in order to be "better safe than sorry."

etky

Tue, Feb 04 2020, 7:17 am

Today I saw that Chinese scientists announced that the virus can live on smooth surfaces for up to five days, under certain conditions.
They also announced today that they discovered that the virus mutates when transmitted between carriers.
In short - I don't think anyone knows anything with any certainty at this point.
That said, I still think it is highly improbable that a package shipped from China weeks ago contains any live virus.

amother

Blush

Tue, Feb 04 2020, 7:27 am

nobody said so live without things from China forevermore and purge your home of anything from China

not all or nothing

Op asked about things currently or recently shipped from China

there are still many unknowns; each person can make her best educated decision weighing the risks and benefits in each individual situation

etky

Tue, Feb 04 2020, 8:31 am

Rappel wrote:

Well, if you're really worried, just leave the package in a 2 week quarantine and wash your hands.

Not that a quarantine is a bad idea, just that the two week period is how long it takes for the virus to manifest in a human host. That incubation period has nothing to do with how long the virus could theoretically survive on a package surface.

amother

Emerald

Tue, Feb 04 2020, 9:54 am

etky wrote:

Essentially every virus mutates with each infection that is 100% normal.