Both for your reassurance and curiosity, we wanted to let you know what impact this coronavirus thing is having on our business here at Radical Tea Towel. I'm a bit of a clean freak, so in Part 1, I'm going to cover hygiene.

Hey, fellow-member-of-the-human-race!

We've been keeping an eye on this developing coronavirus situation since at least early February here at Radical Tea Towel.

A lot of online businesses initially got stuck because they experienced delays importing from China. As we make our stuff here in the UK and maintain good stock levels, we haven't experienced any supply chain disruption to date.

But the now worldwide crisis is obviously going to have a massive impact on all of our lives, and for quite some time.

I have three radical grandparents in their 80s, so this is very much personal.

We're determined to keep going through all of this and to keep your spirits high as best we can!

Browse our site for hope amid the gloom!

Being a small business during a pandemic

I'm personally a bit of a clean freak and think at least one good thing to come out of all of this is some extra cleanliness.

So firstly, in this email, here's some reassurance with regards to hygiene and our products:

- In our warehouse in Kent, where tea towels are stored and packed, the staff (Emily, Debbie, James and Sam) are practicing social distancing, lots of hand washing, and are following all the guidance on self-isolation with regards to family members. 

- Logistics workplaces are not currently covered by the government advice against going to work, so we fully intend to keep delivering online orders, which helps people at home keep some semblance of normality and keeps the economy moving.Everyone else involved in the day-to-day operation of Radical Tea Towel is working from home.

- The World Health Organisation says it's safe to receive packages, because "the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is low."

- It's worth remembering that this virus doesn't transmit through the skin, but through your nose/mouth/eyes. Soap and warm water disable the virus, so the important thing is to remember good hand hygiene, and avoid touching your face.

- I'm personally super cautious about this virus: I definitely don't want to risk spreading it to anyone else. But I'm happy to keep making orders online and receiving packages and mail in the post. I just make sure I put packaging in the bin or recycling box after I've opened something, and then I wash my hands. Done.

- Like clothes, you should wash your tea towels regularly. We cover all that in our blog post here.

Hope can be found anywhere, even on a tea towel - click to browse our designs!

Hope amid the gloom 

OK, so that's hygiene covered. I'll write to you again soon about steps we're taking as a small business to weather the coming recession and keep everyone in a job.

We're also working on some new content to inspire you. Clue: a lot of history's radicals did some of their best work in periods of confinement and isolation!

Keep your head up, do your part on the social distancing front, and we'll be back to cheer you on soon.

Want to share your own stories about Radical History and connect with our growing community of international progressives? We have a new group on Facebook dedicated specifically to this purpose. Click here to join and learn more.