Corona: Infection from toys from China unlikely

Can I get the corona virus when I buy toys or technology from China? The new lung disease unsettles many consumers. Experts clarify.

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Imported goods

Berlin (dpa / tmn) – toys, clothing or pomelos – consumers come into contact with a number of goods from China when trading. In view of the corona virus, some are now wondering whether the pathogen can also be transmitted via food or other imported products.

Exaggerated fears are unfounded. An infection in this way is unlikely, explains the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). According to its own statements, it has received inquiries from unsettled consumers.

According to the current state of knowledge, the most important transmission path is the droplet infection, in which the coronaviruses are released into the air by infected people or animals and then inhaled.

According to the BfR, the viruses are generally not particularly stable on dry surfaces. As a rule, they become inactive in the dry state within hours to a few days. Specifically, this means that the risk is low that corona viruses on toys or cell phones, for example, could survive delivery from China and infect consumers in Germany.

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