This article is up to date as of April 14, 2020. We will update as we are able, but for the most recent information, please visit usps.com.
What do I need to know about the United States Postal Service in the time of COVID-19?
The United States Postal Service is an essential part of our country’s infrastructure and remains open with minimal disruptions to its service. In order to protect its customers and employees, the USPS is taking the following safety measures:
- Sourcing and distributing supplies of masks, cleaning products, and gloves to its 30,000+ local post offices for employee use.
- Minimizing person-to-person contact in retail and mail-processing facilities by means of sneeze/cough guards, floor tape, and signs.
- Reinforcing proper social distancing behaviors; eliminating signing requirements for Mobile Delivery.
- Educating and updating employees with latest CDC guidance and instructions.
- Updating paid sick leave policies.
- Working locally to adapt specific operational plans within communities to ensure that the postal service can continue to serve all people.
To read the full statement by the USPS, updated on April 2, 2020, click here.
Is there evidence that COVID-19 is being spread through mail?
In short, no. According to the CDC, World Health Organization, and U.S. Surgeon General, there is no evidence currently that COVID-19 is spread through the mail.
The USPS is acting upon the advisement of the CDC and WHO; according to the World Health Organization, “the likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and been exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low.” Additionally, according to the CDC, “in general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures. Coronaviruses are generally thought to be spread most often by respiratory droplets.”
But can’t I catch COVID-19 from a letter carrier?
The USPS has implemented the following changes to encourage unwell employees to stay home: “Our leave policies [have been updated] to allow liberal use of leave and to therefore give our employees the ability to stay home whenever they feel sick, must provide dependent care, or any other qualifying factor under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. We have entered into agreements with our unions to provide 80 hours of paid leave to non-career employees for issues related to COVID-19, and have expanded the definition of sick leave for dependent care for covered employees to deal with the closures of primary and secondary schools across the country.”
These measures, in addition to the social distancing behaviors reinforced for letter and package deliveries, are intended to reduce the likelihood that you will come in contact with a COVID-19-infected person, keep employees safe, and ensure that the mail can continue to move.
On March 19, Dr. Joseph Vinetz, an infectious disease doctor at Yale Medicine in Connecticut, told TODAY that people should only need to take the regular precautions when opening mail.
“It’s reasonable just to wash your hands several times a day — any time you’re contacting something that comes in from outside your home.”
Is Congress going to keep funding the USPS?
On March 27, 2020, the USPS released the following statement on the Congressional Stimulus Package. “The United States Postal Service appreciates the inclusion of limited emergency borrowing authority during this COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Postal Service remains concerned that this measure will be insufficient to enable the Postal Service to withstand the significant downturn in our business that could directly result from the pandemic. Under a worst case scenario, such downturn could result in the Postal Service having insufficient liquidity to continue operations.
“The Postal Service continues to provide an essential public service in the midst of this pandemic. As recently as January of this year, the National Security Council identified the delivery of postal services as a “critical government service” necessary during times of crisis, and the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month identified “postal and shipping workers” as essential to critical infrastructure.
“As Americans are urged to stay home, the importance of the mail will only grow as people will need access to communications and essential packages such as prescription drugs and other necessities. This is particularly true in rural and other areas, where the Postal Service may be the only affordable delivery provider available to fulfill the needs of these communities. In addition, the population most at-risk from the Coronavirus, people over the age of 65, is also the least likely to be using the internet or other technology to access information.
“As the Postal Service continues to spend resources in response to this crisis, the national decline in economic activity has led to a rapid drop in mail volumes and a significant loss in needed revenues, which puts our ongoing ability to provide our vital federal service at risk. We will continue to work with policymakers in the months ahead to ensure that Americans have access to the mail during this critical time in our nation’s history.”
Why is the United States Postal Service important?
At the American Philatelic Society, we appreciate more than most the essential role of the United States Postal Service in our country. The USPS is the great equalizer, allowing anyone to send mail at the same rate, no matter how far or how rural the destination. Plus, yes, we love stamps.