Coronavirus Update
The World Health Organisation advise that the risk of catching any virus from a package that has been posted, travelled and exposed to different conditions and temperature is very low.
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
Public Health England have also advised that under most circumstances, the amount of infectious virus on any contaminated surfaces is likely to have decreased significantly by 24 hours, and even more so by 48 hours.
https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/23/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/
We recommend you unwrap your delivery straight away, dispose of any packaging and wash your hands with soap immediately. Extra precautions would include opening your delivery and disposing of the packaging outside of the home. You could also leave the parcel in an external area, such as the garage, for the 48 hours mentioned above.
We will continue to closely monitor all government and Public Health England advice on this matter and will immediately inform our Partners and customers of any changes.
SELF ISOLATING AND SHIELDING
For those who are high risk, such as those with blood cancer, we would recommend that you do not answer the door at all. You (or someone you live with) could place a sign on your door or in your window to explain this to any delivery drivers. All couriers should be following the steps outlined below to complete a contactless delivery. If you are planning on purchasing a gift to be sent to someone who is high risk, it might help to let them know to expect a delivery so they can think about how they will receive it.
PACKING THE ORDERS
We would like you to be aware that your order is despatched from a single location which allows us to have total control of hygiene and cleanliness, which we take very seriously. The shifts have been reviewed so the warehouse can continue to operate with minimal staff to minimise contact. Staff who can work from home now do so. Our team is fit and healthy and are following guidelines. Our Business Continuity team is reviewing our plan daily to help us react quickly to any further UK Government and W.H.O. advice.
DELIVERY SERVICES WE USE
Our orders are delivered by either Royal Mail or DPD. This is determined by the size and weight of the order. Both Royal Mail and DPD are operating contactless delivery. For any parcel that won’t fit through your letterbox, they will place your item at your door. Having knocked on your door, they will then step aside to a safe distance while you retrieve your item. This will ensure your item is delivered securely rather than being left outside. Royal Mail and couriers should not be handing over their hand-held devices to customers to capture signatures. They should instead log the name of the person accepting the item.
You can follow updates from both services via the links below:
ROYAL MAIL https://www.royalmail.com/coronavirus
DPD https://www.dpd.com/group/en/coronavirus-covid-19/
DELIVERY TIMES
We are keeping in touch with Royal Mail and our couriers DPD to ensure that packages are delivered in a timely manner but there may be slight delays given the current circumstances. We appreciate your patience and understanding at this time.
INTERNATIONAL ORDERS
We have temporarily stopped taking international orders, as the number of countries Royal Mail are able to access is changing daily and we feel we are unable to guarantee delivery. We will be reviewing this decision frequently and apologise for any disappointment.
WHY ARE YOU STILL OPERATING?
The government have advised that online retail businesses should continue to operate.
We believe taking the steps outlined above means we can continue to operate safely and protect our staff and customers.
Every purchase from our shop helps to support Blood Cancer UK at a time when it is needed more than ever. The coronavirus means the blood cancer community is facing its most difficult moment. People with blood cancer are among those at greatest risk, and so everyone with blood cancer is unable to leave their home for 12 weeks to protect themselves. We’ve already seen ten-fold increase of new calls to our support line and expect that to continue with the rising toll on our community’s physical and mental health. As a charity, a large part of our income comes from the kind of community and sports events that depend on people getting together. With that not possible now, we’re suddenly facing the prospect of a large drop in income. Every purchase you make will make a big difference to us.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Our customer service team are now all working from home but you can contact them through the usual phone number.
hello@bloodcancer.org.uk
THANK YOU
Thank you to our existing loyal customers and new customers for the continuous support during these unprecedented circumstances.