You can’t catch coronavirus from newspapers, WHO confirms

The World Health Organization has confirmed newspapers remain safe to read during the coronavirus pandemic.

The WHO has stated that the likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low, and therefore the risk of contracting COVID-19 through receipt of a printed paper is infinitely small.

The organisation had advised precautions such as washing hands remain essential to preventing the spread of the disease in any circumstance.

However, it stressed that “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 low”.

Virologist George Lomonossoff, pictured, told BBC Radio Scotland: 

Newspapers are pretty sterile because of the way they are printed and the process they’ve been through (to be produced).

The UK government has committed to allowing news providers to stay open within new lockdown legislation and confirmed that journalists are recognised as key workers.