As COVID-19 progresses, many fear that ordering from Amazon or the already-destructive fast fashion industry could potentially bring the coronavirus into one’s home. While there is still little known about the recent pandemic, some worry delivery of any kind will create an unnecessary risk. 

The source of this worry is likely the idea that many things are made in China, and since China is where the coronavirus began, packages must not be safe. Whether this is true or not depends on the science of the virus and if it can survive the process of being shipped to one’s door in a box. 

“The likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low,” the World Health Organization said. 

Since the chances of catching the virus from mail is low but not impossible, some have continued with the idea and worry they are still at risk. However, different surfaces react with the virus in different ways. 

Research from UCLA found that “the virus is detectable for up to three hours in aerosols, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.” Although this seems like it could make COVID-19 even more dangerous than previously believed, shipping typically exceeds this time frame. 

For companies that heavily rely on shipping like fast fashion, the virus outbreak has been even more destructive. This is a potential reason for many predominantly online stores having recent sales. 

A service currently growing due to the COVID-19 quarantine is food delivery service through apps like DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats and Postmates. Like any other shipment, there could be risks to both eating food prepared by a restaurant and the delivery process.

“In the last two hours, I’ve done about 15 deliveries, which is more than normal,” Uber Eats driver Raymond Neville said to NPR. 

Overall, it is unlikely that the virus spreads as rapidly through packages and deliveries as it does person-to-person, and if that were true, even more cases would appear. A general rule is to disinfect anything that enters your home during this time of uncertainty. To prevent the virus from entering your home from deliveries, the CDC’s rules for disinfecting applies.

“Cleaning of visibly dirty surfaces followed by disinfection is a best practice measure for prevention of COVID-19 and other viral respiratory illnesses in households and community settings,” the CDC said.