Mother’s Day will likely be a lot different this year.
There likely won’t be many brunches or dinners out, and hugs will be virtual.
» Here's where to order Mother's Day takeout this year
But what about flowers? About a quarter of all flower sales are made for Mother's Day, making it the third biggest holiday for the industry, according to About Flowers.
Many people might be worried about having flowers delivered to their moms May 10, but experts say you can take steps to make sure they’re as safe as any other delivery.
» 11 unique gift ideas for mom
"Ordering online seems so antiseptic," Jim Thomas, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina and lead author of the American Public Health Association's code of ethics, told HuffPost. "All we touch is our keyboards. But there are lots of interactions in the supply chain to get those flowers to appear at a door ― all of them an opportunity for transmission between each other."
» How to make mom a gift, create a card, even make her flowers
If your mom has received other types of deliveries, however, she should be fine getting flowers.
“Sending your mom flowers has no more risk than if you send her gifts from an online retailer or have a nice meal from a restaurant delivered,” Brian Labus, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ School of Public Health, told Huffpost.
“The risk from any delivery comes from the contact with the person making the delivery,” Labus said. “Touchless delivery, which minimizes contact with the person making the delivery, eliminates this risk, and this is very easy to do for floral deliveries.”
After contactless delivery, your mom should arrange the flowers in a vase and then wash her hands. After that, don’t touch them for a couple of hours.
“We generally recommend that people wash their hands after handling deliveries,” Labus said, “so that it is a simple step your mom can take to help protect herself.”
About the Author
