24 employees of courier company infected with COVID-19

24 employees of Fan Courier, one of the biggest courier company in Romania, are infected with COVID-19, the company has announced. Those 24 infected people are working as deliverymen at the warehouse in Stefanesti, Ilfov county. Ten other employees are in isolation at home for 14 days.

The representatives of the company said the 24 employees had been tested and came out positive for the novel coronavirus.

“Their condition is very good. Most of them have no symptoms,” Fan Courier commercial director told Digi24. He added that the employees are coming from two localities from Ialomita county. Overall, 600 people work in the Stefanesti warehouse.

Romania’s representative at the World Health Organization, microbiologist Alexandru Rafila explained that people who receive packages through this courier company don’t have to disinfect the parcels, but it is important they wash their hands when unpacking.

“Under no circumstances I would follow the idea that the virus is spread through the packages delivered by this operator”, he said.

In his turn, the Head of the Emergency Situations Department, Raed Arafat said the packages sent through courier companies don’t have to be particularly disinfected, but people need to wash their hands as usually after unpacking.

Arafat also said that the European Civil Protection is preparing for a potential second wave of the pandemic, but no one can estimate of this second wave will be stronger or weaker than the current one. “We cannot say <relax, nothing will happen>”, said Arafat, adding that a total lift of restrictions is not recommended and if there is a second wave of the pandemic, certain measures will have to be adjusted.