Horrid afternoon.

NZ isn’t delivering mixed messages at all. Two issues have become confused on this thread. There were the women from the UK who breached quarantine and brought the virus with them and then the latest case of the family. The number of days without new cases refers to( and always has) what are known as community transmission cases ie not brought into the country by two selfish women who took advantage of being given compassionate grounds to enter NZ. Some people love to have a pop at NZ - I suppose it makes them feel better about the total omnishambles here.

Pinkcakes
Thats what you call a bad afternoon ? I would call a hair in the mouth a slight irritation rather than a disaster

Commiserations PinkC

On parcels......I can’t wait and rip open parcels the second they’re delivered, the excitement! I don’t know what I expect, it’s usually something DH has ordered anyway.Post is torn open by me immediately if not sooner.I do wash my hands afterwards though.

Thank you for the sarcasm pinkcakes. It was a horrid afternoon as the hair led to me gagging and then vomiting which i didn’t want to disclose. And if you really want to go down the route of my life is worse than yours, my husband died 20 months ago of colon cancer. I nursed him through 7 years of utter distress and pain. We had 40 years together and I miss him dreadfully. I come onto gransnet as I have no one to talk to but sometimes the slapping down I (and others get) is just breathtaking. If you don’t like what people post then don’t read it or respond to it.

FarNorth Yes, it's been awful. Many people have far worse, though. A bit of hair in my mouth and a few parcels to undo wouldn't be a big deal to me......

That is really awful, PinkCakes.

I had a "horrid" (I hate that word) afternoon recently - my sister in law told me she's got Cancer, my husband is on fewer hours as the firm he works for hasn't got much work. I had a bad migraine that day.

Jaxjacky

Allegedly the NZ outbreak was a breach of quarantine.

Oh dear. They said at first that the family had not been in contact with anyone from overseas.

That is a bit of a dilemma, Bluebellwould.

I expect the 2 UK travelers weren't classed as actual New Zealand cases, as they should have still been in quarantine when their symptoms started.

I hope you are hair-free now,
and it is much cooler here tonight so hoping for a nice slumber ?
Hope it is with you too.

My horrible afternoon wasn’t the opening of parcels, it was the long hair in my mouth and throat, that I couldn’t immediately remove because I had been opening the post and my hands were dirty. Perhaps I didn’t make that clear.

Allegedly the NZ outbreak was a breach of quarantine.

About post and parcels : when we receive them we wipe them with antibacterial wipes and open them quite soon after they have dried. Wash our hands thoroughly after disposing of envelopes and packaging. It’s just become habit now.

There seems to be conflicting stories, and confusing sources,
claiming NZ had seen no new cases in 100 days until 2 days ago,
yet the BBC reported 2 UK travellers tested positive when they were there (on June 16th - less than 100 days ago).

Reassuring to know there are mixed messages there, not just in Britain.

Of course it is always sad when there is a spike of new cases anywhere.

Bluebellwould
Seems to me that you created your own horrid afternoon
Try lightening up a bit ( well more than a bit) you'll find life is a lot more pleasant.

annsixty

If the new cases in NZ really have come from freight originating in Atlanta, we really have got a lot to worry about.
How long was that in transit?

Was that the cause?
I read that it was from a meat packaging facility. Perhaps the meat was from Atlanta?

Why would anyone leave parcels and/or letters to mount up? I open everything straightaway, have always done so. I'm still here, haven't had so much as a cold.

If it was a baggage handler at Atlanta Airport who was infected it wouldn't have been in transit very long and must survive much longer in cool temperatures than thought.

If the new cases in NZ really have come from freight originating in Atlanta, we really have got a lot to worry about.
How long was that in transit?

If it's clearly junk mail - circulars, catalogues etc - it mostly goes straight to the recycling bin. When packages arrive, I open them with rubber gloves, bin the packaging and gently spray the contents with a bleach solution.

We open the post straight away too - and then thoroughly wash hands. We no longer wash the shopping, but do leave the unpacking for a couple of hours. Our Tesco delivery is only handled by one of us after having been on the van for several hours. I do wipe freezer stuff over as it has to go straight into the freezer and Covid isn't destroyed by cold.

BlueBelle

I agree hand washing should be sufficient but I understand how anxious some people are about this virus so do whatever makes you feel comfortable.

I thought the OP was going back 4 months or so, was surprised to see today’s date.

Just how long are people going to leave post for days before opening, and disinfecting shopping? Forever? I’ve never done either.

Until a vaccine is available I suppose.

?‍♀️

I open the post as it arrives and then wash my hands while reciting the first verse of "The Owl and the Pussycat".
I'm led by the postman who delivers the mail, and doesn't wear gloves.