Hi yesterday I had an Amazon delivery and although I had given the instruction to put it in the garage or ring the bell and then leave the package at the door, the door bell rang and there was the Amazon man with the box who handed it to me. No self distancing at all I have been so worried that I couldn't sleep last night. How much risk was I in?
Heart attack, stents and Amazon delivery - Positive Wellbein...
Positive Wellbeing During Self-Isolation
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Heart attack, stents and Amazon delivery
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Kentborn
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I've had a couple of Amazon deliveries. With those and the post, they're being placed near the door, I'm washing my hands and leaving them for 24 hours before opening which I'm guessing would allow any viruses to die. Others may think you should clean or isolate the items inside for a further time. I haven't done that.
Thank you. I am worried about the close contact I had with the delivery man. I know I am being over the top but just so hyper at the moment x
Hi. First- I ENTIRELY understand your frustration with the delivery person. I had that happen and I was so caught off guard that it did not occur to me to TALK TROUGH THE DOOR when someone violated distancing. I feel so silly for not having my bearing to do that but the next time THAT is what I did. They went to HAND ME A PEN (!) to sign and I at least said - I'll get my own! It frustrates me to see people all day, stopping to chat to each other a foot away, leaning in - every time I look out my window.
You can put a sign on your door like I did to REMIND me to talk through the door, and a sign outside saying: "NO CONTACT DELIVERY"- or "Deliver Person- Leave Packages By Door" etc, - if you - like most of us- are getting a lot of things by delivery. We can't do a lot but being pro-active in these ways makes me sure I'm doing what I can even if others forget or fall back on habit. If deliveries need signatures, you can tell the person through the door "Put the reciept down and stand back, I'll sign it" and open the door, ask them to stand back, and use your own pen, sanitize your hands or wash them before and after signing a delivery pad or receipt. The plan for the anxiety about these things people do that they don't KNOW we're more vulnerable or they're just not cautious enough, that's the antidote to those concerns, for me. If you think of others, do let me know!
You know the odds of you getting it are kinda like zero. You would not remotely qualify as having contact and needing the test, AND you would be jamming up health care if 'being handed a box' prompted you to go to a doctor's office or hospital or test tent- that makes the odds even HIGHER because it's more contact with people. They'd just send you home, because while concern is not SILLY, it's still- that's not a the sort of contact they mean- especially if it's an isolated thing in super super super low risk single incident from someone who didn't have it. (The odds they did are so close to zero a graph would not get that small. Below infinitessimal.)
I don't know where you live but I live in NY and that would annoy and frustrate me UNBELIEVABLY that they did that. But it would not scare me about not even having contact, for a split second, from a box-distance, with someone who didn't have it handing me something that didn't have it on it (and I'm sure you know, they have lab things where they made perfect conditions and grew it. But no cases whatsoever where someone GOT it from a box!)
I hope you have groceries delivered as much as possible and reduce that. The grocery store is where there are other people at all distances (touching things, not covering faces...) I limit contact and am EXTREMELY careful, I don't wear a surgical mask because I don't even want to be seen taking supplies away from health care workers at this time but I wear a scarf and a re-usable 'citizen' mask, and plastic gloves that I sanitize with the store free sanitizer... and I turn to face away when anyone passes me, I keep big distance as much as is humanly possible in small grocery aisles, and I get in and out quickly, I only go every distant few days. I wash my hands, the produce, throw out the bag, wipe down everything else and wash my hands again. (HAND washing is the real deal. A 'pedestrian' face cover- scarf, bandana- I do for me but also to let the people around me know I'm protecting them FROM me.)
That might seem overkill but I'm in NYC and it doesn't pay to have high anxiety but it reduces my concern (I'm on this chat board, I'm in a risk group too...)
Being pro-active reduces my concerns, and also, it's good that you wrote. Anxiety these days is also a thing to be mindful of and work on. I try that too- you helped me by posting that. Frustrating! Protocols, folks! Distancing! 
Thank your for advice and support. I am in York, England have seen the news around NYC and how bad it is there.
How strange you in NYC and me in York, England having similar worries and fears. What awful times we are living through. It seems unreal.
Please take care and please stay in touch.
in reply to Palominox
Great advice Palominox!
Yeah, I get that. Do you use First Defence or Sterimar Nasal Spray? I use both and I've also been regularly gargling with Corsodyl, I expect you can use salt water.
I got rid of a persistent cough earlier in the year by gargling, suddenly had a thought about gum health and general health which I'd been reading about. Who knows, but they say this virus gets in the nasal passages, moves to the throat and then invades the lungs so I now add nasal spray and gargling to my daily routine plus hand washing. Have a friend who does the same, no harm in it. Stay well.
have not had that happening. Everyone who has delivered to us has made sure they kept their distance for their own sakes - not ours - theirs ! but if anyone had tried to hand me something like that I would have refused to take it and backed away from them quickly.
Hi Kentborn,
I hope you won't lose too much sleep over this. It is annoying though when someone doesn't observe the safety rules. It does seems from some reports that there could be some risk from handling parcels and it's sensible to take precautions, but I'd stop over-worrying about this one occasion, and just have your own plan for dealing with any future deliveries, or contact at the door.
Key, is asking the person to step back to a distance of 2 metres if they are too close. If they try to hand you a parcel, ask them to set it on the floor at two meters away from you and if you must give a physical signature, put on a pair of household gloves first. After the person leaves, use your own gloved hands to pick up the parcel and place it in a designated safe spot, e.g. on a clean, wipeable surface, preferably on or near the floor.
Keep your gloves on when removing the packaging. When it's off, dispose of the packaging with your gloves on, then wash your hands well with the gloves on. Now you can safely touch the contents.
Remove your gloves thus: Take off the first glove in the normal way. Then with the other gloved hand, pull off the first one. Hold it firmly with the second glove, scrunching it up if possible without touching it with your ungloved hand. Then use the fingers of the ungloved hand to remove the other, by sliding them INSIDE the cuff of the second glove and peeling the second glove back. Envelop the first glove with the second. If they are disposable, drop them into the bin. If not, drop them into a bucket of disinfectant or very soapy hot water, to wash later.
Wash your hands thoroughly again.
There are still too many people who haven't understood what needs to be done and you just have to be firm with those who don't follow proper social distancing.
Hopefully you are going to be absolutely fine after this worrying encounter. I'd say just take every step to stop anyone doing this to you again. Take care and I hope you continue to stay well.
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