The news reported last night that it was safe to touch surfaces. Um, not exactly correct.

The CDC website says:

It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but we are still learning more about this virus. (emphasis mine.)

Studies have shown coronavirus (and other viruses, bacteria and fungi) being active for hours on some surfaces, and up to a week on others. And Scott Gottlieb, MD former Commissioner of the FDA, is as unimpressed as I am.

The actual nuanced point that the CDC was trying to make (and understanding that they are being muzzled by the Administration) was that you are MORE likely to contract COVID-19 from another human than you are from a surface. And that’s true. What is NOT true is that you are completely safe touching various surfaces.

So what makes sense? Let’s look at two examples at opposite ends of the spectrum: a metal door handle at a public place, and the handle of a paper shopping bag. There is something called “viral load” which relates to how much virus is in how much blood, the higher the load, the more severe the condition. “Viral load” does not apply outside the body, but a corollary would be: how much of a risk is there predicated on how contaminated something might be?

If you are walking into a grocery store and need to pull the door handle, you’d consider how many people touched it since the last time it was disinfected. Of those people, how many might have asymptomatic coronavirus and touched their faces before touching the door? Touching that door is far less risky than being three feet away from an asymptomatic carrier who is not wearing a mask and who sneezes in your direction, but if you touch that door, you should still sanitize your hands asap, and definitely before touching your face, and you should wash your hands with soap and water as soon as you get home.

At the other end of the spectrum, let’s say that a friend brings you a present (or your medication, or a piece of fruit) in a paper shopping bag. He puts it down and moves back, and you pick it up. The chances of transference from that handle are far lower for the following reasons: first, it was touched by your friend, or ONE person, not many. Second, your friend would have to be an asymptomatic carrier, and have touched his face before putting the bag down and would have needed to touch just the spot that you did. Finally, paper (and cardboard) are far less likely to harbor pathogens than metal, and for a much shorter time.

So here is the guidance that is followed in my house, none of which has changed since the new CDC guidance:

• Mail is placed in a pile. Letters are opened after 24 hours, shiny things (like magazines) are given 48 hours. Hands are washed after the mail is brought in.
• Shipped Packages: Everything stays outside overnight and is opened the next day. Hands are washed afterwards.
• Grocery Deliveries: Perishables are wiped and put away. Everything else sits for at least 24 hours, and we don’t wipe them.
• Restaurant Food Deliveries: Every container is wiped, food transferred to bowls and dishes, and the packaging is immediately tossed.
• Going Places: We generally don’t go anywhere, but occasionally we have to. I wear a small container of hand sanitizer on a lanyard around my neck, and loan it to my husband. Therefore, if we have to go through a door, we can immediately sanitize, and the lanyard and holder are disinfected when we get home. Another option is to have a paper towel in your pocket that you can use on the door, and then drop in the trash. (Please don’t litter.) We have not gone food shopping since this started, but if we did….my process would be to wear gloves in the store, touch as little as possible, stay as far as possible from anyone else, and on exiting the store, take my gloves off inside out and drop them in the trash, and immediately sanitize my hands. Once I got in the car, I’d sanitize again and properly remove my mask for the drive home by taking the elastic off one ear, and taking the mask off without touching the face covering part. The mask would then be dropped on the floor of the passenger side. A few days later, I’d put it in the washing machine. Once home, perishables would come in and be wiped and put away, and the food would stay in the car. (Once it gets hot, the non-perishables would be brought in and the bags left for 24 hours).

Is this extreme? Perhaps. But my approach is simple. These methods are easy, and don’t take a lot of time or effort. Are we LIKELY to get coronavirus from the mail, or a package or a grocery delivery? No. But is the chance zero? Also no. However, taking precautions on a regular basis has the added benefit of providing “muscle memory”. This is a theory from exercise that says you can train your muscles to do certain things. There is back and forth on the truth of that. However, if you embed something in your memory banks, it’s likely to stick with you. For example, if when you come into your house you always put your keys on a peg by the door, it becomes a learned process that you end up not thinking about, you just do it. (As an aside, I hope people end up feeling that way about voting, but I digress.)

So, if you get in the habit of being mindful about washing your hands, and sanitizing them when you’re out, and always wearing a mask and thinking before you touch something or get too close to someone, these are things that will stick with you as the world re-opens. We are all human, and all humans make mistakes. The more things you can put on “automatic pilot”, the more likely you are to avoid a mistake. And mistakes with coronavirus can be deadly.