[COVID-19 Wuhan coronavirus has afflicted tens of thousands of people, triggering severe travel advisories and even leading organizers of Mobile World Congress to cancel the world's largest cell phone show

The impact of COVID-19 has hit the technology market particularly hard, as many components are manufactured and shipped from China, the birthplace of the coronavirus For all products shipped directly from China, one might wonder if the coronavirus could spread through the packaging

While Reddit users' concerns suggest otherwise, both the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have stated that there is no evidence that the spread of coronavirus is associated with imported products

The CDC's FAQ page on COVIS-19 cites its understanding of the SARS and MERS viruses as a guideline: "The risk of infection from products and packaging materials shipped at room temperature for days to weeks is likely to be very low

"There is no risk that the person receiving the package will be infected with the new coronavirus," the WHO wrote

"Experience with other coronaviruses has shown that this type of virus does not survive for long on objects such as letters and parcels

After an overseas buyer rejected a parcel shipped from China, China Postal Tracking issued a statement explaining its shipment The letter stated, "Transmission of novel coronaviruses requires the following media: droplet, fecal-oral, and contact transmission Even if your overseas parcel was sent by an infected person, the parcel itself is not a medium of transmission

Thus, if you stumble across a great technical deal and are still wondering if it is safe to order products from China, know that there is no coronavirus-related reason to hold off on shopping