WITH coronavirus lockdown now in place in the UK, most people are turning to online deliveries and takeaways.
However, with the influx of deliveries, many people have been left wondering how safe it is to order food and whether there is a risk of potential exposure to the deadly bug from the packaging it comes in.
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It comes as the UK yesterday saw its biggest daily spike in deaths from coronavirus, taking the nationwide total to more than 400.
However, it seems as though you don't need to worry too much about picking up coronavirus from delivery packaging as the NHS say "it's very unlikely coronavirus can be spread through things like packages or food" on their website.
The Food and Drug Administration in the US also claim there’s no evidence of Covid-19 transmitting through food or packaging.
On top of this, a professor of infectious diseases has revealed that the risk of transmission through food and packaging is low - and people should simply employ common sense.
Stephen Baker, from the Department of Medicine at the University of Cambridge, said viruses - unlike bacteria - do not survive well outside the body.
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And while the risk is "not zero" when it comes to supermarket and home food deliveries, it is "relatively minor".
In particular, the key thing to remember is that the biggest risk of transmission is from person to person, which is why social distancing measures are key in slowing the spread.
The government has urged people to stay two metres apart to prevent coronavirus from spreading and say delivery drivers should leave goods outside, in the porch, or as appropriate for your home.
When it comes to food, Prof Baker recommends washing fresh fruit and vegetables as normal and wiping down packages with a wet wipe if you're concerned.
He added: "Things that are in packages, I would maintain a degree of common sense with the view that they are unlikely to make anybody sick."
While the virus will survive on food as it would do on other surfaces - it then dies off, according to Prof Baker.
And he revealed the virus cannot replicate or produce more copies of itself on food.
The professor admitted it is difficult to predict how long it would survive on different foods, but stressed: "There is no reason to think the virus would be able to survive on food longer than any other surface."
The risk posed by eating food contaminated with small amounts of the virus would also be "really low".
Benjamin Chapman, a professor and food safety specialist at North Carolina State University, told Live Science the virus probably wouldn’t survive digestion because of the stomach’s acidity.
Instead of food packaging being a problem, it is surfaces such as door handles, lift buttons, petrol pumps and letter boxes that are more of a concern.
Coronavirus is said to be able to survive on these surfaces for 72 hours - and if someone sneezes on to their hands and then touches a lift button or touches a door handle, then that's going to be the bigger problem.
Prof Sally Bloomfield, Honorary Professor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "Any virus contamination would come from someone who has contaminated hands, handling the items whilst they are being handled for delivery.
"Although hands and hand contact surfaces are thought to be a major contributor to spread, the main risk comes from ‘hand contact surfaces recently and frequently touched by many other people."
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Health bosses say the best way to protect yourself from catching the bug in this way is to wash your hands with soap and water for the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice.
Happy Birthday takes about 20 seconds to sing twice and is said to be the perfect number to clean your hands to thoroughly.
You should also not touch your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands and avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces which you may have touched is also important.
Dr Daniel Atkinson, clinical lead at Treated.com, said: "Hygiene is incredibly important to ward off any viruses.
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"Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly - for at least 20 seconds - and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
"If you can, avoid contact with sick people and avoid shaking hands with anyone displaying flu-like symptoms."
Globally, there are currently over 435,000 cases of coronavirus and nearly 20,000 deaths from the bug worldwide.