I feel I should state a little bit about how I perceive this pandemic- I'm alarmed as fuck. I suspect I won't get sick and die (1 to 2 million projected in the US)- but I am taking every precaution to at least not become infected and thus spread the virus.
My wife and I both work from home- and have been practicing social distancing here in Charlottesville, VA since early March. We had a couple friends stop by a few days ago, we sat outside in the yard in a big circle and talked to each other- it was wonderful.
So the questions of relevance here are;
Can I receive and send art/goods in the mail, is this safe?
Yes, it's safe. Thank fucking god. Turns out- you package something of volume- and at least I for one don't use the expensive next day services. So your stuff is taking days to get to the destination- it's changing temperatures and pressures from one place to another- a room, a truck, etc etc. The virus cannot survive this.
So sending and receiving is safe. The only potential for contagion would be if at the last second the person delivering your package has the covid-19 and coughs all over your package. When receiving mail of any sort- wipe the outside with a disinfecting wipe or spray it with a solution of bleach and water and wipe.
March 17 2020 from USPS:
According to The World Health Organization, “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.” And according to the CDC, “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 COVID-19 associated with imported goods and there have not been any cases of COVID-19 in the United States associated with imported goods.”
So, in short- whew.. so far so good. It's ok to get stuff in the mail and to send it out. If I became a carrier of the covid-19, I'd have to disclose not just to my neighbors and friends and family, but also my clients? And figure out if there's a way to safely sanitize work- I guess? I imagine it would be possible.
How long will mailing services go on?
I'm not one to plan for the end of the world- but.. What id the postal service ended? That's unlikely- consider the importance of US Mail.. Everything from filing taxes, getting a paycheck, billing customers for basic services, court documents.. Basically if the mail stops, the country may as well not exist anymore. There's a movie about this with Kevin Costner called The Postman.
From USPS service alerts page;
The Postal Service has so far experienced only minor operational impacts in the United States as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, yes. The fucking mail will go on. Thank you USPS.
Links;
Can you get coronavirus from the mail? The News & Observer
Coronavirus doesn’t spread by mail. Washington Post
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