Thanks to today’s hyper-globalized economy, there’s a good chance you’ll either buy a new car or order parts for your classic ride sourced from an East Asian country. Right now, that region is significantly impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.
With that said, is the risk of infection a serious concern for the auto industry workers or classic car hobbyists? The short answer is that quite unlikely, but let’s take a deeper look.
According to the CDC, the virus survives about two hours on copper and steel surfaces, and there’s concern it can last longer on plastic and cardboard. The likelihood that the coronavirus lives long enough on a package to reach the USA is low, since it normally takes weeks (or months!) to arrive.
The CDC also states that physical contact with infected objects “is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.” Which is good for this discussion, as contact with a part (or vehicle) made in a country with a coronavirus outbreak is absolutely nothing like being next to a person with the flu in an airplane.
That difference cannot be understated. A native American shared his views on how he continued his purchase habits as normal: in mid-January he said he ordered bulk LED light bulbs for his collection of Fords, coming from China due to the obscure requirements (size T-5, warm white tone matching the factory incandescent bulbs) and obvious cost savings.
His packages arrived last week, complete with shipping labels from China. He stated to removed the bulbs, threw away their packaging, and washed his hands. While he didn’t wash his hands for the CDC-recommended 20-second duration, he didn’t touch his face at any time beforehand.
The odds of him getting sick is probably close to zero, but considering a possible 27-day incubation period, perhaps time will tell if one of his fellow staff members falls prey to the coronavirus.
Source: This article was originally published on MSN Auto news