We have received an update from Royal Mail as to the ongoing situation with mail delivery which may prove to be an important lifeline for many over the coming months. Here is what they have said
"At Royal Mail, we are actively monitoring the rapidly evolving Coronavirus situation. The postal service is a key part of the UK’s infrastructure. The delivery of parcels and letters is a key way of keeping the country together and helping many people who may not have the option to leave their homes.
We will continue providing the best delivery service for you and protect the health of our people, and our customers. We have already made a series of adjustments to our parcel handling procedures. We are keeping our ways of working under review. We will keep you informed.
We understand that having the right information is very important during this time. So, we’ve made it easy for you to find out up to date information on our website:
• Question & Answer section for all our customers
• Steps we are taking to protect our staff
• International delivery updates
• UK delivery updates
If you’d like to be updated automatically about any local or national service issue, you can sign up to our email alerts."
Here are some of the questions that Royal Mail have been asked:-
1. Can customers catch coronavirus from the mail?
Public Health England has advised that there is no perceived increase in risk of contracting the new coronavirus for handling post or freight from specified areas. From experience with other coronaviruses, we know these types of viruses don’t survive long on objects, such as letters or parcels.
2. What precautionary actions are you taking to ensure the health and safety of colleagues?
We take the wellbeing of our employees very seriously. In line with guidance from Public Health England, we are advising colleagues that good hand hygiene is the first and most important line of defence. Disposable gloves are also available to our people on request.
3. What actions will Royal Mail take in the event of a suspected or confirmed case of coronavirus with one of our employees?
Should we have a confirmed employee case, we will work with Public Health England who sets out the required actions for the relevant Royal Mail office (if the employee has been in work) and any wider actions relating to people the employee has been in contact with. We have all the systems and processes in place to carry out cleaning of our property, if required.
4. What will happen if one of Royal Mail’s sites has to close because of an outbreak of the virus?
Any decision to close one of our units would be made in line with Public Health England guidance. We have strong contingency plans in place to ensure mail is kept moving. The scale, vast network and business continuity expertise of our organisation mean we have extensive experience in being able to quickly deploy diversion plans so we continue to provide customers with access to our collection and deliv
services, and their mail.
And in these unusual times why don't we go back to writing letters? We all used to have pen pals so how about getting some more!