READERS of newspapers can be assured that picking up their favourite paper puts them at no real risk of contracting coronavirus.

In a news bulletin, the Society of Editors has said said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had stated that the likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods was low, and therefore the risk of contracting Covid-19 through receipt of a newspaper was infinitely small.

The society also referred to an interview on BBC Radio Scotland with Professor George Lomonossoff, a virologist, who said that newspapers were quite "sterile" due to the way they were printed and the process they had been through to be produced.

In other countries with high levels of coronavirus outbreaks, newspapers remain a part of daily life, the society said.

Reach plc, JPIMedia and Newsquest, which publishes the Leader and Standard newspapers, are among those to support the Deliver My Newspaper home news delivery initiative, which allows readers to get newspapers delivered to their door for free for up to six weeks.

News Media Association chairman Henry Faure Walker has also issued an open letter to retailers concerning the importance of news publications during the coronavirus outbreak.

He wrote: “The need for independent, verifiable news and information is more important than ever during the coronavirus crisis, with the public turning to the news publications they trust in unprecedented numbers. The news media fulfils a critical service at this time, particularly for the elderly and vulnerable where information and support is so vital.”

All journalists reporting on the coronavirus pandemic have been classed as “key workers” by the Government.