My concern is with the announcement that China just had a resurgence of the Corona-virus, So can you guarantee that no infected person handled the cups and balls. It is my understanding that leather is like skin, and the virus will seep into the leather and ball's coverings.

Can they be disinfected?

Bill,

Going by that thinking, probably half the stuff at Wal-Mart is infected right now, as is stuff at Amazon, BestBuy, etc.

By the time items are looked at, leave China, arrive here, go thru customs, get inspected again etc I highly doubt there would be a problem.

It is my understanding that the virus from China can only live so many hours. It would take a week or better for your items from China to arrive here in the states.

If there is a problem with a virus surviving on products that long I believe NOTHING would be allowed into the United States from China and that is currently NOT the case.

Having said all of that, I am not an expert in such matters nor am I a physician of any kind.

If you are that concerned - don't buy one. Pretty simple really.

You might want to stay out of Wal-Mart, Target, etc.

Hope this helps.

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Steve, yes at 73, I have not been out of my apartment since this started. I only walk 2 blocks to the grocery store, with mask and gloves, and I do not buy any open products or fresh vegetables as some say to wash with soap and warm water. I don't think Dawn dish soap would taste very good. Also, why take a chance on something that 50 other people have handled. Still I have not heard any proper instructions on how to deal with such things from any kind of expert.

Thanks, I will take your advice.

Bill, at 72, I'm cautious as well but when you come home from the grocery store, do you take off your shoes before going into your home? Do you wash the cans and wipe down the boxes you bought? Do you let your mail sit in the mailbox for 24 hours after delivery? Do you wash your clothes everyday? The food you buy comes from a variety of places, into the warehouses, into stores and then loaded on the shelves. How many people have handled those items? Even our government is importing medical supplies from China.

Being careful is good but it can be carried too far.

Reasonable care should be taken when dealing with this virus. On average the virus can survive on metal, like door knobs and handles, jewelry, etc. for 5 days. On leather (like leather Chop cups and shoes) the time seems to vary but 5 hours could be expected. There are lists of material type and length of time of survival of the virus on serval websits. A household bleach solution, or rubbing alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide bleach all have been proven effective for disinfecting surfaces.

Social isolation, hand washing, cleaning surfaces (and washing hands after touching the surfaces), not touching your face, and wearing a mask in public all seem to slow down or impede the spread.

In our mail room (handles over 1000 pieces of mail a day including packages). The clerks wore gloves well before this current pandemic. Now they wear gloves and masks. Proper putting on and taking off protective gear is as critical as having the gear. One recently retired after 20 years of service and was given a special award for not having one day sick. The mailroom handlers are no more sick than any other employee. They use (and have used) precautions albeit minimal (gloves and hand washing).

I. would say to be on the super safe side to wear your gloves properly before handling your packages. Spray them with a solution of Bleach and water and let set for a minute (it takes a bit of time for the solution to work its magic), Then open the box and remove the contents. To the extent possible spray and wipe down all your products. Dispose of packaging to the outside of your house. clean the surface you used to set the box and packaging on. Put your new toy (or whatever) Away for now. When all is done, take off your gloves and wash your hands using the proper hand washing technique.

While that is pretty much an overkill it will significantly decrease the likely hood of you catching the virus from the packaging or product. The biggest advantage of having a procedure to insure a minimal exposure it that it reduces mental stress and anxiety.

Frankly, you are more likely to have been exposed by touching the outer surfaces of the packaging from being handled by the postman than the product inside. You walk to the market and around the market. How do you decontaminate your shoes?

Just for interest. I did wash my hands (appropriately) before sitting down here. In the course of writing this long missive I noticed I touched (or tried to touch) my face 6 times. Hand to face is how we will most likely catch this nasty bug. Now to learn how to not touch my face!

I have read 2-3 days, where did this info (5 days) come from?

I think it depends on what article you read. Some say the virus lingers for hours, others say days. The bottom line isn't so much the number of hours or days but the precautions that should be taken.

A Doctor has stated that the virus on certain materials can be be present a good number of days after it is infected. Although for a person to be transfer the infection from the item after 72 hours would be highly unlikely, as the virus requires certain conditions to remain infectious. Generally it is stated if you purchase metal tins to wash your hands for up to 72 hours after handling. After the 72 hour period the virus again could be detected if clinically tested, although highly unlikely to be infectious. The idea of washing everything as you bring it into the house would be a nightmare! There are many versions of rights and wrongs with this, common sense washing hands is the key.

They do have leather disinfectant wipes as well. Although any virus coming from China will most likely be harmless by the time you get it.

Err on the side of caution but the most recent info is that genetic material is detected on surfaces but not the active virus itself. But being paranoid in these paranoid times is not a paranoid stance. It's being careful