Waiting 72 hours before opening a package delivered to your home could help stop the spread of Covid-19, researchers say.

The advice comes from the Germ Defence website which advises the public on ways to help reduce the spread of viruses.

Guidance issued on the website has proved successful for limiting the transmission of seasonal and swine flu and has now been adapted in response to Covid-19.

Germ Defence advice was trialled on over 20,000 people during the 2009 swine flu outbreak and subsequent seasonal flu years. The study found lower rates of transmission among families who followed the guidance.

The team from Bath, Bristol and Southampton Universities hopes the advice will help change people's behaviours, thereby reducing the risk of infection.

The researchers also suggest that disinfecting surfaces in the home and instilling better hygiene measures could limit the spread of the virus.

Advice on the Germ Defence website draws on behaviour change techniques which the researchers say will reduce the risk of exposure to Covid-19 at home.

Dr Ben Ainsworth, from the department of psychology at the University of Bath, said: "We know that Covid-19 is caught in the same way as other viruses.

"Germ Defence provides advice on how you can protect yourself using the same methods that have worked for other viruses.

"It only takes around 10 minutes to go through the information - but it could help protect you from coronavirus, as well as offer you a lifetime of fewer colds and flu.

"It may take a bit of practice for you and your family to use the ideas on Germ Defence. But once you have learnt them, they will become habits that you'll do easily which will protect you from becoming ill.'

PHE has previously said the length of time a respiratory virus can survive depends on a range of factors, including the type of surface it is on, and whether it has been exposed to sunlight and cleaning products.

Under most circumstances, PHE says, the amount of infectious virus on any contaminated surfaces is likely to have decreased significantly by 24 hours, and even more so after a further 48 hours.