The United States Postal Service has a dedicated COVID-19 Command Response leadership team that is focusing on employee, operational, business, and customer continuity during this unprecedented epidemic.
We continue to follow the strategies and measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and public health departments. The CDC has information available on its website at https://www.coronavirus.gov that provides the latest information about COVID-19.
Postal Service is an essential service for purposes of its compliance with state or municipality shelter-in-place orders or other social distancing restrictions. The Postal Service delivers medications, social security checks, and is the leading delivery service for on-line purchases. The statute that created the Postal Service begins with the following sentence. “The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by an Act of Congress, and supported by the people.” 39 U.S.C. §101(a).
US Postal Service Coronavirus Updates
The Postal Service is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and continues to follow strategies and measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and public health departments.
FAQs specific to the Coronavirus situation and Postal Service™ continuity can be found here. USPS® Coronavirus Updates for Business Customers
FAQs specific to the Coronavirus situation and Postal Service™ continuity can be found here. USPS® Coronavirus Updates for Residential Customers
USPS Industry Alerts
USPS Service Disruptions (The USPS updates this daily.)
International Mail Service Disruptions Due to COVID-19 (March 24, 2020)
COVID-19 CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS UPDATE – Safety of the Mail (March 23, 2020)
USPS and Mail Supply Chain Essential Government Services (March 23, 2020)
Modification Customer Signature Service/COVID-19 Response and Prevention (March 20, 2020)
Customer Signature Service
COVID-19 Response and Prevention
A number of cases of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) have recently been confirmed across the country.
The safety and well-being of our employees & customers is our highest priority. To help ensure the health of our employees & customers, we are continuing to follow recommended guidance and strategies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health departments, and are implementing additional measures to help maintain social distancing.
One significant measure being implemented is a temporary modification to mail handling procedures for mail that requires customer signatures. We recognize the close proximity and additional handling that occurs when employees must ask customers for a signature and government issued identification when required. To reduce health risks, we are temporarily modifying customer signature capture procedures. Effective immediately and until further notice, our employees will follow the temporary process below for signature service items. This process applies to all letter carriers:
- Avoid ringing the doorbell when possible. Knock on the customer’s door. Avoid areas that may be frequently touched when knocking.
- While maintaining a safe, appropriate distance, employees will request the customer’s first initial and last name.
- For increased safety, employees will ask the customer to step back a safe distance or close the screen door/door so that they may leave the item in the mail receptacle or appropriate location by the customer door.
- If there is no response, employees will follow the normal Notice Left process.
- If there are delivery points on the route where social distancing recommendations are difficult to follow, alternative delivery methods can be explored.
For more information, see the USPS Coronavirus Statement at about.usps.com/newsroom.
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