Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 1 September (HL6347), what plans they have to publish guidance on how to deal most safely with the possible COVID-19 contamination of parcels delivered to the home, or of packaged goods bought in retail outlets; and whether any precautionary measures should take into account the differences between paper, cardboard, plastic and metal.

In May 2020, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) published a review of Evidence of environmental dispersion for different mechanisms, and the risks and potential mitigations/measures of control within different environments from what we know about COVID-19: A brief evidence summary for SAGE. A copy is attached. The SAGE Environmental and Modelling Group published a paper on Environmental Influence on Transmission of COVID-19, which considered the evidence relating to duration of time spent in an environment and transmission on surfaces. A copy is attached.

Preliminary analysis suggests surface contacts are likely to be a significant transmission route for COVID-19. Evidence to date suggests that the virus can persist on surfaces at a level that may pose a risk for up to 48 hours, while it is unlikely to persist in air for more than 30 minutes. As new evidence or data emerges, SAGE will continue to update its advice accordingly.