Coronavirus cannot be caught from newspapers or packages, WHO confirm

Health experts and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have confirmed that newspapers cannot transmit Covid-19.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain Dr Hilary Jones said: "For public health information right now it's important people have access to information through newspapers."

Dr Jones stressed that they were an essential service and that "it's possible to deliver newspapers safely.

"If someone physically picks them up and delivers them to a doorstep or letterbox it's safe."

And a statement from WHO backed that up.

It says: "The likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low.”

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Newspapers are safe with the risk of transmission 'low' (Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)

Virologist George Lomonossoff, of the John Innes independent research centre in Norwich, uses molecular biology to understand the properties of viruses.

He said: “Newspapers are pretty sterile because of the way they are printed and the process they’ve been through to be produced.

"Traditionally, people have eaten fish and chips out of them for that very reason.

"So all of the ink and the print makes them actually quite sterile. The chances of that are infinitesimal.”

The reassurance also extends to Royal Mail and Amazon packages.

In countries with high levels of coronavirus, newspapers remain a part of daily life. Even in the worst-hit areas of the world, including Italy and China, newspapers have continued to publish in order to maintain this public service.

Fish and chips were traditionally wrapped in newspaper (stock photo) (Getty)

Food delivery services such as Deliveroo and Uber Eats now offer customers the chance to select a 'contactless' delivery with food instead left outside the front door to limit any human interaction which could spread the deadly bug.

The UK death toll from coronavirus yesterday reached 1,019 and that number is expected to significantly increase in the days to come.

Although those with underlying health conditions are considered most at risk from the pneumonia-like virus 13 of the 260 who died between Friday and Saturday were perfectly healthy.

A further update on the number of deaths in the UK is expected later today.