Don't worry! You can't catch the virus from your newspaper

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed that the Coronavirus cannot be transmitted by picking up a newspaper.

According to the WHO: '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'.

The process of printing newspapers at Webprint, the printers of The Southern Star, is mostly automated.

At Webprint human intervention is only required set up and monitor the machines and does not require any direct contact with the finished product other than quality control checks during each run.

Any copies that are checked by the printers do not leave Webprint until they are collected by their waste management company to be sent for recycling.

America's Centre for Disease Control also advised consumers that coronavirus had "a very low risk" of spreading on packages, newspapers, and other mail due to the "poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces".

If you can’t make it to the shops this week to pick up a copy, you can avail of a digital or postal subscription by clicking here.