Single sided A5 leaflet for Knowles Tree Service delivered to local residents in North Yorkshire during the COVID-19 pandemic, includes the words "This leaflet has not been in direct contact with naked hands", summer 2020

In the early months of the pandemic, public health messaging focused strongly on handwashing and surface cleaning as strategies to prevent infection. In response to widely publicised studies indicating that COVID-19 could survive on some surfaces for hours or days, health agencies advised sanitising communal touchpoints such as door handles, and many people quarantined their post. This leaflet advertising local gardening services reassures recipients that it has not been directly handled.

Aerosols (infectious particles suspended in the air) are now known to play a major role in spreading the disease. While it is possible to become infected through exposure to contaminated surfaces, the risk is considered low.