Coronavirus 2019 is now almost everwhere outside China (in mostly developed countries where citizens with higher income have access to airtravel for business and pleasure and return back to their country of origin)- see Europe and USA Coronavirus 2019 maps of confirmed cases.
Although statistically, yes, your chances of catching the novel pathogen currently are highest in China, it’s clearly no longer ‘just’ a Chinese health emergency and of note, once it mutates it won’t make any difference what country you’re in and a vaccine won’t work as each infection will differ from the original sample.
The virus is already everywhere in pockets outside China where governments allow free travel and return of citizens from infected countries without quarantine - see UK, Holland, Germany etc.
As it stands, worrying about catching it from Chinese packaging, should be the last thing on your mind in terms of 'risk". (I’ll get back to this at the end).
Once it becomes wide spread in your country, you’re far far more likely to catch it from:
-
Close proximity to other people who have no symptoms as both parties are unaware. This means anyone can give it to you - including your own family or simply shaking hands politely meeting customers at work, or work colleagues passing you something like a phone, pen, powertool etc.
-
Any contact with Public transport. Lifts, Doorways, handrails, bathrooms including others who use this and then meet you.
-
Anything with money exchange (requires hands). Hands touch face, itch eyes, blow nose, bite finger nails etc).
-
Sitting in ER departments, doctors office full of potential spreaders and of course, the doctor themselves who sees hundreds of patients a week. Schools, Universities, Music Festivals, Sports events, Trains, queuing in stores inc people brushing past you etc, work environments full of people - call centres.
-
Simply breathing air outside. Air currents (until sustained hot weather, e.g. May/June onwards) carry pathogen droplets from country to country.
So in terms of packaging concerns of a Pimax headset or any packaging from ANY hotspot country, it’s a theoretical risk, but very very low. To be honest, once it’s in your area (which unless reported in the news you won’t be told) the risk from cross contamination from LOCAL workers in the or in near-by countries will be far higher than ordering goods from China as China is so far from the West, it takes many days to get to your country which is good.
As weeks pass and if your country of origin has more cases (and if it’s not mutated and most remain not severely affected) there will be a risk locally just touching mail, even letters, after a local mail man has wiped his nose on his hand before posting the mail in your letter box, or when you go fill up your car with fuel and touch a fuel nozzle or pay for a drive thru at work on a lunch break or order a Pizza at the weekend. Even if you buy food via home delivery, someone had to move the produce into the store then multiple other people will handle it before a home delivery driver hands you a bag of groceries at your door.
For peace of mind, once you know your headset is coming (by then expect the situation to Worsen in developed western countries) simply learn the following and take the following precautions.
-
Know the current Science is that Coronavirus 2019 can survive up to 9 days on hard surfaces. After this it dies, has no energy source and is harmless. Yes there are exceptions like heat and moisture which could extend this period, but your headset is sent in a dry, moisture free environment (inside).
-
Regarding packaging. A higher risk will be local delivery people touching packaging on the OUTSIDE not Pimax workers in China boxing up a headset days or weeks earlier inside. People in the delivery chain in your OWN country, cross contaminating packaging hours or minutes to you receiving it at the door, in between you eating a snack or biting your fingernails or simply rubbing your eyes from feeling tired will be far far more of a risk once it spreads.
*By the time you get your Pimax headset, (if you’re in the West in a wealthy developed country that failed to protect from banning air travel), if you live in a major city you’ve perhaps had Coronavirus already if healthy.
You may have thought it was the flu or a cold or will catch it anyway soon, as for months, people have (and still have) access to Europe, US and other sources of infection outside China and bring it back and mix at school, work, museums, anywhere tourists are especially and these people then get in cars, use public transport and cover hundreds of miles a day and pass it on. The next set of people then do the same.
*Factor in your headset didn’t get from China to your door in 0 days, so simply don’t open the box for a week.
-
After coming in from outside, meeting visitors, receiving mail at the door, wash your hands immediately for at least 20 secs with soap and water (using a soap dispenser, never use a soap dish especially if other people share your home).
-
Ideally, obtain high alcohol content alcohol rub as standard scented antibacterial soap, unless stated on packaging, doesn’t kill viruses.
Medical grade Alcohol rub is out of stock almost everywhere but normal alcohol rub is OK and keep this near the door in your house (as a visual reminder for post/letters/electronically signing for post using a touchscreen stylus) and carry some in your vehicle or bag when you go out and give some to your family members so they are less likely to bring their contaminated hands into your house and then touch surfaces (staircase handrail, cupboard doors, door, kitchen taps, handles, light switches, TV remote, phones, trash bin, garage door, car keys, and most of all doors and side of doors).
If you have no alcohol rub, and as a general rule anyway, try to open doors with feet when possible. Turn lights off with elbow, pick up (when safe) objects with inside of t-shirt and don’t sit next to someone at meal times who is actively coughing, or who has been sneezing, eyes look red, stuffy nasal voice etc. If someone sneezes right near you hold your breath and rapidly leave room immediately, don’t return to the room for at least 5 minutes as micro droplets remain in the air. Make sure they then wash their hands thoroughly and remember to clean all the surfaces they touched. Don’t sit right near them.
As you can see, yes there is a tiny theoretical risk from packaging from China, but the future and far more real risk will be in your OWN country: the people you meet, the air you breathe in, the places you visit, the transport you use, the local goods and mail you touch (e.g sent next day delivery), the burger you eat, the pint of beer placed on a table at a restaurant and all these factors combined in and outside your home on a daily basis.
