There is a lot of uncertainty in the world these days, but subscribers can rest assured that reading a print copy of The Dominion Post, or any other publication, is still considered safe by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the CDC’s Frequently asked Questions section on coronavirus, “It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
The virus is believed to primarily spread from person-to-person: between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) or through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
For this reason, the CDC and WHO both recommend following simple precautions like regularly washing hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, and not touching your face after touching surfaces or handling objects.
However, The Dominion Post is taking extra steps to ensure the safety of both readers and employees.
These days, the printing and bundling process is largely automated, so very few papers are handled by employees.
“The pressmen actually do not touch the paper at all, as the press itself does the ‘physical’ printing,” said The Dominion Post production director Chris
Halterman.
Any papers touched by pressmen are those they take out of circulation to check for proper color and photo registration.
“In our post-press, or mailroom, we bundle the paper in large quantities, 25, 50, 75, 100 papers per bundle, so only the top and bottom papers in a bundle are physically touched. Less 1%-2% of papers are touched,” he said.
As printing and bundling are thoroughly automated, delivery drivers are often the first — and only — people to handle the paper before it reaches a subscriber.
Our delivery drivers have been provided with gloves and additional rain bags for the papers. Their delivery schedules have been relaxed so they can take extra precautions like using hand sanitizer between deliveries.
The Dominion Post uses biodegradable soy-based ink and recycled newsprint for the daily paper to reduce environmental impact. This means the paper is treated to help delay decomposition, and the procedure makes the end product mildly anti-bacterial.
So enjoy the paper, avoid touching your face, and be sure to wash your hands after.
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