Page 6 - Plastics News April 2020

Action speaks louder….

A number of packaging and plastic processor firms have reduced or shut down
operations, in line with nationwide lockdown since March 25, meant to contain the
spread of the deadly novel coronavirus in the country.
Though the new guidelines for the extended lockdown are expected very soon that
might bring some respite, bringing production and transportation back to optimum
levels may take time. To be honest (and logical) one could anticipate a short-term
shortage of packaging materials required for medicines and ointments like plastics and
tubes.
Also as medicines are essential goods production of ancillary goods like chemicals,
blister packaging material, caps, bottles and cartons for medicine production is
ongoing. The problem on faces is of transporting these goods for many transporters in
India have refused to ply even essential goods as their drivers were being manhandled by
police officials along the route. There have been instances of certain goods producers
not receiving plastic films for packaging and lot of other such complaints that adds to the
concerns of the Plastic Industry that is working against time in its endeavor to help the
government fight the pandemic.
AIPMA through its leadership has been working hard to address various issues concerning
the industry and the government is also taking the due cognizance of the same.

Also I would like to draw attention of the section of the society those who have been
sharing an eyebrow-raising report that the novel coronavirus can live for 24 hours on
'cardboard' and up to three days on 'Plastic' and 'Stainless steel'. It can, but the details
are more complicated, according to scientists Princeton University researcher Dylan H.
Morris who published the research behind those figures. The short version: Levels of the
virus drop dramatically within a few hours, the authors wrote in the New England
Journal of Medicine.
The key is what scientists refer to as a virus' half-life, or rate of decay: how much time it
takes for half the microbes in a given sample to die.
When the scientists placed virus-laden droplets on plastic, they found that half of the
virus was gone after about seven hours. Half of what remained was gone after another
seven hours, and so on. By the end of Day Two, there was less than 1/100 of the original
amount, and after three days the remnants were barely detectable. Moreover its levels
dropped off dramatically well before then, to the point that most people would be
unlikely to get sick. As Morris said, “The fact that you could identify a virus on a surface
does not mean it is necessarily infectious.”
It's a humble request to everyone not to share such online campaign with vested interest
to malign Plastics that has once again lived up to its reputation of being a 'wonder
material' and helping every citizen of the country through masks, face shields, gloves,
and not to forget Plastic bags that helped everyone for carrying their daily needs; be it
vegetables or groceries, during the pandemic.

Stay safe and happy reading at home…

APRIL 2020 3 Plastics News