Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

From a personal safety perspective, people are not putting themselves in any danger by shopping online and accepting packages. According to Dr. Gabriela Andujar Vazquez, an infectious disease physician at Tufts Medical Center, “It's fair to say that from the time that the person that's packaged whatever it is that you ordered, and it gets in transit and then it gets through your door, it's very unlikely that the virus stayed alive through that process.”

Still, the extra-careful might consider washing their hands after handling the package, or even sanitizing it before tearing it open.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC), there is a “very low risk” of the coronavirus spreading through mail that is “shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures.”

“There should be less concern over infections from items that are shipped over the course of multiple days; most infections occur through droplets as when someone sneezes or coughs, and in most cases, you need a large viral load to be infected,” explains Dr. Frederick Davis, associate chair of the emergency department at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, a New York area hospital. “The highest risk of transmission is usually within the first few minutes and decreases more over time, as most virus particles will begin to degrade once outside a living host.”

Further, Dr. Niket Sonpal, an NYC-based internist and gastroenterologist and adjunct Professor at Touro College, points to a recent study analyzing how long the virus is able to live on steel, plastic, and cardboard. Though it can live for up to 24 hours on cardboard, “this was under ideal lab conditions, not ambient real-world temperatures,” Sonpal explains. “There have been no reported cases linked to shipments of merchandise.”

Although it is extremely unlikely for the virus to live on your mail and packages, there are steps you can take to be extra careful. It is a good idea to sanitize the box and packaging before opening the product. You can also leave the package untouched for 24-48 hours before opening it. Make sure to properly wash and sanitize your hands after handling your mail and packages. These additional steps will help keep you virus free.

Another factor to consider: how postal workers and our team members that package and process online purchases are faring with increased online shopping.

“UPS, USPS, and FedEx all say they are closely watching the latest from the health department and the Center for Disease Control... they are huge companies that must take precautions, or they risk losing a large portion of their workforce and potentially infecting others,” Dr. Sonpal explains, noting that USPS added enhanced safety measures for their workers on March 6th.

Now is when shoppers must be extra thoughtful about the sort of businesses they are supporting. Amazon and other large retailers are often the most convenient option, but those retailers are in no danger of going out of business. That isn’t true for many of the brands and small retailers people are most passionate about, including GIDDI.

Supporting small businesses is about more than just giving money to the brands and shops we’ve grown to love—it’s about helping out the people who make them possible.

We're grateful to our customers for supporting GIDDI. We hope that during this challenging time, you remember the importance of sexual wellness and enjoy mind-blowing pleasure with your GIDDI products.