I just think about how many things I touch each day that have been recently touched by somebody else, such as letters on the doormat, money, deliveries, tins of anything. Just think about the pack of cheese in the fridge, touched by a shelf-stacker, a till operator etc. You then touch it each day. Are we supposed to wash our hands to prepare our lunch, then wash hands before we eat it. My sister has teach her class to wash their hands on seven specific occasions each day, and her hands are raw.
The one significant advantage we have over this virus is it isn't very robust and is vulnerable to basic chemicals most of us have at home already.
Most of the things you mention can be dealt with using simple techniques or minor changes to our normal routine. There were various things I was told about when swine flu was on the rampage and they probably apply just as much now.
E.g. letters - just open the envelope and tip/shake the contents out without touching them. Repeat with each item. Put the envelopes in the recycling bin, then wash your hands. Now you can handle the contents with a lower level of risk, even if the level of risk from the envelope was low in the first place (a matter of debate)
In relation to food it isn't just the shelf stacker and till operator who might have handled an item - if it has been on the shelf for a while it may well have been touched by several other customers, some of whom have very little understanding of basic hygiene.
I've already started doing two things. For stuff going in the fridge or freezer which is in sealed containers/packets I just give the outside of the container/packet a wipe over with anti-bacterial/viral spray before it goes in the fridge/freezer. If stuff is a bit 'cleaner' when it goes into the fridge then when you go to make the cheese sandwich you don't need to worry so much about how many people touched the packet in the shop.
The second thing is with dry stuff like tins and packets. I'm not immediately unpacking them and putting them away in cupboards the moment I get home. The new stuff is going in my spare room and will stay there until I need it. (I normally always have 2 or 3 week's worth of food - I was raised as a country boy
) By the time I use those tins and packets it should be past the time that this virus is able to survive on those types of surface (3-5 days has been suggested).
It doesn't reduce the risk 100%, but this pandemic is all about numbers and percentages. Anything you can reasonably do to reduce risk to yourself and your family is worth considering.
As for money, as a child I was told to
always wash my hands after handling money.... and contactless payment cards have now enabled an alternative strategy to be used if need be.
