Safe Mail Retrieval from Community Mailboxes

Started by BillH10 • 15 replies • 540 views

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BillH10 (Texas)
Posts: 1,217

Posted:

The President of one of the Associations we manage suggested we remind our clients to practice "safe" mail retrieval from community mailboxes. We manage small condominium associations with fewer than 20 doors, we have seen community/apartment mailboxes which are significantly larger.

One thought is to touch one's key only, another is to find a way to clean the mailbox doors daily. We have seen recommendations that rubber/latex/nitrile gloves should be used when going through the mail; that would work as well.

Have you suggestions or thoughts to share?

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

Give the residents accurate information:

* The coronavirus can remain viable on various surfaces for varying lengths of time. Current estimates (which may change as we learn more): in aerosols (coughs, sneezes) for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.

* Don't crowd around the mailboxes - pick up your mail when no one else is there, or else stay at least six feet away from others until they're finished.

* Thoroughly wash your hands after handling mail and packages (and don't sniff them!!). I usually dump my mail and packages on the floor and wait a few days to go through them. Sheer laziness, but it's paying off now. :-)

* The gloves may be useful if you discard them after every use.

* Disinfect mailboxes regularly, but don't assume that they're safe.

* We in this for the long haul. Do as much as possible online to minimize the amount of paper that you need to deal with.

* If you send out community alerts, maybe add contact info for local public health services plus web sites that contain accurate information.

* It's OK to be a germaphobe right now. Not only is it smart, it's the patriotic thing to do.

ND (PA)
Posts: 792

Posted:

I don't think it could hurt to put some info out there on this topic. A few additional suggestions:
- If no need to retrieve mail, then don't. However, don't let mail build up to a point where the box becomes jammed full (since mail may not be delivered at that point).
- User with symptoms should not retrieve mail themselves. Perhaps other arrangements could be made for someone else to retrieve and drop it off to the home of anyone who is sick.
- If other person already in mail area, allow them to finish and exit before entering.
- People should touch only their mailbox/key and minimize touching any other surfaces.
- Wash hands before/after retrieving mail.
- Wash hands before/after sorting and opening own mail.
- Wash hands again.

GenoS (Florida)
Posts: 4,276

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By CathyA3 on 03/19/2020 8:31 AM
Not only is it smart, it's the patriotic thing to do.

I was with you until the end.

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By GenoS on 03/19/2020 10:34 AM

Posted By CathyA3 on 03/19/2020 8:31 AM
Not only is it smart, it's the patriotic thing to do.

I was with you until the end.

You think it's not?

The name of the game right now is to slow down this pandemic so that the health care system is not totally overwhelmed. Not only do you help prevent others from being infected, you're also protecting those who may have urgent issues such as a heart attack or a stroke or an infection or a birth that's going wrong - and who may not get the care they need because the system is completely slammed with covid-19 patients. And you're protecting the health care workers - we need them to stay healthy.

This has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with doing right by our fellow citizens, whoever they are, whatever they believe. If that's too woo-woo, then realize that it's also enlightened self-interest: that heart attack patient that you save may be you.

I can't imagine anyone thinking this is objectionable.

MarkW18
Posts: 1,290

Posted:

This COVID-19 (or political correct term, Chinese Virus) is probably bad. Go back just to 2009. World wide up to 1.4B infected with 575K deaths. Does anyone remember that and was life affected as it is today? People are talking end of the world.

IF, we were to believe what's coming out of China, they have NO new cases. South Korea is stopped.

AugustinD
Posts: 5,144

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By CathyA3 on 03/19/2020 8:31 AM
it's the patriotic thing to do.

I do not think the hoarders of toilet paper and buzillionaires are patriots. I do not want to be among those "patriots" on whom the latter step and subsist.

"Enlightened self-interest" works.

GenoS (Florida)
Posts: 4,276

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By CathyA3 on 03/19/2020 11:49 AM

Posted By GenoS on 03/19/2020 10:34 AM

Posted By CathyA3 on 03/19/2020 8:31 AM
Not only is it smart, it's the patriotic thing to do.

I was with you until the end.

You think it's not?

I think it's irrelevant. This is a world-wide pandemic crossing national boundaries. Patriotism has nothing to do with keeping safe from COVID-19. If it's applicable here then it's applicable everywhere. The virus doesn't respect any manmade boundaries or borders.

BenA2 (Texas)
Posts: 1,273

Posted:

I definitely think it's a good idea to disinfect the mailboxes daily. A recommendation that came from our attorney is to give people links to sites such as the CDC rather than give recommendations. Information is changing quickly and there is a lot of misinformation out there.

CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By AugustinD on 03/19/2020 12:39 PM

Posted By CathyA3 on 03/19/2020 8:31 AM
it's the patriotic thing to do.

I do not think the hoarders of toilet paper and buzillionaires are patriots. I do not want to be among those "patriots" on whom the latter step and subsist.

"Enlightened self-interest" works.

I wasn't talking about hoarders or buzzilionaires. I was talking about those who are washing their hands and disinfecting things and staying home and keeping a safe distance from their fellow citizens. It's all about slowing down the pandemic to protect the health care system so that it can protect us. The stories out of China and Europe and other places with overwhelmed medical facilities were/are horrendous, and it's coming our way unless we put the brakes on as hard as we can.

Crises bring out the best and the worst in us. I hope we'll see more of the former and less of the latter.

AugustinD
Posts: 5,144

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By CathyA3 on 03/19/2020 2:24 PM
I wasn't talking about hoarders or buzzilionaires. I was talking about those who are washing their hands and disinfecting things and staying home and keeping a safe distance from their fellow citizens. It's all about slowing down the pandemic to protect the health care system so that it can protect us. The stories out of China and Europe and other places with overwhelmed medical facilities were/are horrendous, and it's coming our way unless we put the brakes on as hard as we can.

Ya ya. I am reading every scintilla of coverage in the Washington Post and NY Times. Notably, the youthful deaths are way up. And I do mean 20 to 40 year olds.

But I am still disgusted with those hoarding TP. In my eyes, it would have cost them nothing to be patriots and resist buying more than one package of TP. I paid thirty dollars yesterday gambling on some eBay seller for 12 rolls of I dunno what except the package has Asian alphabet characters.

I welcome Chinese expertise along with Far East TP. Donald Trump is a two-bit loser for alienating our friends there.

MarkW18
Posts: 1,290

Posted:

Where are you getting the mis-information on the age range of deaths?

Here was from CNN yesterday, when the number was 100. https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/17/health/coronavirus-united-states-deaths/index.html

From the list, please tell me how it is way up. I don't see anyone in that age range.

GeorgeS21 (Florida)
Posts: 3,808

Posted:

Somewhat related C-19 background from Lancet article on Italian deaths from 13 March ... “Of the patients who died, 42·2% were aged 80–89 years, 32·4% were aged 70–79 years, 8·4% were aged 60–69 years, and 2·8% were aged 50–59 years (those aged >90 years made up 14·1%). The male to female ratio is 80% to 20% with an older median age for women (83·4 years for women vs 79·9 years for men).”

88.7% over age 70.

80/20 men/women.

AugustinD
Posts: 5,144

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By MarkW18 on 03/19/2020 3:07 PM
Where are you getting the mis-information on the age range of deaths?

Since you asked so nicely, I am not giving you a citation other than I believe it was the NY Times or Washington Post, possibly for one country or another.

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

he gender differences are interesting: about 80/20 in my county too.

CD6 (Texas)
Posts: 34

Posted:

It is like that old tv ad,
"You can pay me now or pay me later."

Suck it up for 3-4 weeks or
don't and extend it for 4-6
months, if not longer.

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