Post a letter

Am posting letter and birthday cards as usual.
Am also picking up letters and cards that arrive through the door, opening them, reading them, then putting them down and washing my hands well.Perfectly alright in my view.

We just need to be sensible, not obsessive. Google it. You cant get the corona virus from opening a letter or parcel. Its no different to picking up a tin of soup in the supermarket!

Sophiasnana - the virus can stay on surfaces so it could be possible to pick it up if you touched the mail and then put your hands to your eyes, nose or mouth. After opening the mail you need to wash your hands. Supermarket items should be left in their bags for three days or washed and put away.

Everything goes into our quarantine box for 24 hours before we open. Same with groceries that don’t need to go away in fridge.

Personally, I'd rather err on the side of caution:

metro.co.uk/2020/03/19/post-carry-coronavirus-need-follow-rule-mail-12422678/

I am with *sophiasnana, the chances of picking up the virus from your post is vanishingly low. The WHO says it is perfectly safe to pick up newspapers and packages, even for infected areas without fear of catching the virus. www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen/2093776/newspapers-safe-to-touch-according-to-world-health-organisation/

That's up to you MOnica. Personally, I don't want to take the risk and that's my decision.

Yes, what I choose to do is up to me but the WHO information is hard factual information that I had no input into. Whatever your choice that information remains.

MOnica, I agree. Some people will drive themselves nuts with this virus. Quarantining every thing you buy for 24 hours? I guess thats your choice. But listen to the experts and maintain a sense of reality.

The sense of reality is that we're in one hell of a mess. Years ago I didn't let my children drink milk for a while because of Chernobyl. Everyone laughed at me. A few weeks later a government minister said 'it is now safe to drink milk'. We were on holiday in Cornwall and there had been some sort of water contamination so we drank bottled water. Turned out that people in the area were ill for years afterwards because of it. I don't actually believe everything that I'm told and choose to safeguard me and mine in whichever way I think is best. Scientists re learning about this virus all the time but, at the moment they don't know everything. And as lock downs etc don't seem to be containing it 100% it must be being passed on in lots of ways.

Postal workers are asking people not to. The way the post goes through sorting fills the air with particles.

Post essentials like signed forms only

How am I the only poster on 2 pages who mentions the post workers not just the recipient?

A friend of mine is a postie and I wondered if I should ask her if the service was still running normally.

I am sending frequent letters to my DGD.

notanan2; you're right. They are amongst the many brave people that are keeping this country running. We must only post or order things if it's absolutely necessary.

I'm not driving myself nuts Sophiasnan. I'm doing what I can to prevent myself catching it and passing it on to others.

In the time from being infected with Covid-19, it's possible to infect a number of others, who will then do the same thing. It doesn't take long for thousands to be infected from a single source. A percentage of those thousands will die.

It's because people think they'll be OK, are willing to take a risk and find all sorts of loopholes to avoid the regulations because they think they're an exception that the whole thing has got out of control.

I have chosen not to be part of that, if I can possibly help it, and quarantining anything which comes into my house is no big deal.

notanan2 I agree with you about posties.

The postal staff are to be applauded as are anyone who keeps our services running. But they are in no danger of contracting the virus from touching the mail. They are only at risk through close contact with others (droplet infection in the air) or touching their eyes, nose and mouth before washing their hands. If they avoid those things they are quite safe, as we all are.

It has been confirmed that the infection stays live for about 24 hours on certain surfaces and longer on others. I hope postal workers have been issued with gloves. Otherwise they most certainly are in danger from letters and parcels, if they touch them or any surface which they have touched. It also stays live in the air, so any enclosed area could have Covid-19 particles. Like everybody else who is required to continue working, I hope they are able to keep 2 metres apart. An unknown number of postal workers is already most certainly infected and could pass the infection on to other workers or the public by contaminated mail.

We are not all safe by not touching our eyes, nose and mouth before washing our hands. Anybody who goes into a public place could pick it up on their hair, clothes, etc just by sitting on a park bench or brushing against a wall.

It is safe to recieve post yes. But anyone who is going to work is risking themselves and their families.

So using them for non essential deliveries, just because its safe for you and yours to send/recieve, is horribly selfish.

Just like to say thank you to all the grans who have praised the posties, my son is a Postman so naturally like all mums I worry.
To all the the unsung hero’s doing there bit (NHS goes without saying) to keep the country running ❤️ ?

I had a letter delivered today but with it came the usual advertising leaflets, why are we still getting these,apart from extra things to contaminate they are adverts for shops we cannot go to.

growstuff can stay alive, but the chances are very low, not does stay alive.

Adverts coming through our door now were ordered months ago. Nobody is ordering NEW junk mail to be sent out. It will tail off soon.

Oh no, I have just posted cards through letter boxes. I didnt know about this.

paddy anne, I don't know how old she is but you can send those "experience gifts" which she may enjoy after all this.

My daughter has just delivered something to her father [who lives in the next village] with strict instructions not to touch it for three days. She is doing/coordinating support for the local community and is being given a lot of information regarding safety measures. Why are some of us being ridiculed for being extra cautious?