Discuss how the Coronavirus is impacting international mail services

MargoZ · Post by **MargoZ** » 31 Jan 2020 23:36

A number of reports in the past week about the postal implications of the novel coronavirus outbreak in Hubei province of China.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-asia-51222034/page/2

China Post has confirmed that parcels passing through Wuhan are now being subject to a screening and disinfection process.

As it is common in China for couriers to deliver goods directly to people via motorbikes, the company is urging consumers to now contact couriers by phone, and arrange for their goods to be delivered to a collection point or parcel box "to reduce person-to-person contact".

This means that people stranded in the city may not even receive New Year presents from their loved ones.

*********************

https://in-cyprus.com/cyprus-post-says-packages-from-china-to-be-delayed-due-to-coronavirus/

Cyprus Post on Thursday announced that due to the spread of coronavirus in China there will be a delay in the arrival of packages from that country. Because airlines have begun to suspend flights to and from the virus-infected country.

The announcement also said that receiving and dispatching postal items whose destination is China has also been suspended until further notice.

Cyprus Post monitors developments on a daily basis and will update the public, it added.

****************
https://postandparcel.info/118320/news/e-commerce/parcelhero ... e-parcels/

Can coronavirus be spread through the mail or through goods imported from China?
It’s extremely unlikely. While more needs to be learned about how this particular virus works, coronaviruses typically don't live very long on surfaces, and are very unlikely to survive over a period of days or weeks when an item is being shipped.

"There is no evidence to support transmission of 2019-nCoV associated with imported goods and there have not been any cases of 2019-nCoV in the United States associated with imported goods," said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, during a call with journalists.

The spread of the coronavirus is likely to impact significantly on UK importers and consumers, warns the international courier services expert ParcelHero.

It says restrictions on shipments and compulsory factory closures in China’s Hubei province, which is at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, will mean significant delays on items from this important Chinese manufacturing area. And it cautions concern is spreading worldwide about the potential dangers of receiving parcels from Hubei.

ParcelHero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks MILT explains: “There are at least 106 cases of the coronavirus confirmed outside mainland China, in 21 countries including in the United States, Australia, France and Thailand.

Fears about the spread of the virus beyond China through parcels shipments have been expressed in many key China export markets such as the USA and Malaysia.

A US laboratory chemist who received a parcel mailed via China Post’s Wuhan facility complained to the United Stated Postal Service that such parcels could potentially spread disease ‘depending on the contents of the package’.

Alarm in Malaysia has become so great that its Deputy Director of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Li Guozhong, was forced to made a statement to Malaysia’s national newspaper, Sin Chew Daily, saying that it takes more than 24 hours for a package to be shipped from China to Malaysia, so the risk of the Wuhan pneumonia virus passing through the package is low.”

David says: ‘Our live international courier services guide is not currently showing significant material delays in shipments to or from China, but we expect the situation to change.

China itself has been forced to act over the concerns of shoppers in its key export markets. China Post’s Express Mail Service (EMS) announced on Sunday that it will delay shipping orders to disinfect goods. EMS said: “To ensure the public’s safety, we will ‘double-disinfect’ the parcels and the vehicles that will go through Wuhan, delaying the shipping progress.”

And David says that though the risk of contamination from parcels seems minimal according to most experts, the outbreak is still a serious problem for UK importers and consumers; as manufacturers are being forced to extend their Chinese New Year closures, and further postal crackdowns are introduced.

‘Wuhan is at the epicentre of the outbreak and is the largest of 14 cities in Hubei to have been cut off from all travel. The area is a key manufacturing centre: 47% of its economy is industrial production. Britain’s Lotus is soon opening a car factory in Wuhan, as is Proton.

The region has focused on the development of advanced and emerging manufacturing industries and it has officially encouraged privately-owned businesses based around advanced technologies and the internet; to build new household brands.

That means many of the Chinese products consumers purchase on eBay are likely to be produced in the region; while many UK traders who source their stock from the Chinese B2B online wholesaler Alibaba and its B2C arm AliExpress are also likely to be impacted.’

Concludes David: ‘China’s New Year holiday has been extended to next Sunday, and in Shanghai the government has stopped virtually all businesses from returning to work until 10 February. Production of items popular in the UK is likely to be impacted, as are mailings from affected areas.

Philexx · Post by **Philexx** » 31 Jan 2020 23:45

Interesting, thanks Margo.

Funny thing is in Germany Surgical and better N95 masks on Amazon have mostly sold out, especially the cheaper ones. Guess where they all come from? Delivery from China. Bet the people who ordered them never even looked or thought about that!

kuikka · Post by **kuikka** » 01 Feb 2020 00:14

The chances are that most of those masks are going back to China. They have a huge shortage of masks there.

norvic · Post by **norvic** » 01 Feb 2020 03:42

Royal Mail aren't showing any impact on receiving or sending aside from actual delivery in Hubei province. Mind you, that was three days ago:

China

Incident 2
Start date: 28 January 2020
End date: Ongoing
Incident: Infectious Disease
Implication: Delays to inbound mail processing and deliveries

The Chinese government is taking measures to prevent the transmission of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by disinfecting all mails into, or transiting via the Wuhan Mail Centre.

For international mail (letters, parcels and Express Mail Service items) destined for Hubei Province (postcodes 430000–449999), China Post will contact the addressee by phone before delivery to ask about their delivery preferences. The mail can then either be stored temporarily at the postal outlet, made available for pick-up from the outlet, delivered to a smart parcel locker or delivered by other non-face-to-face methods.

Delivery methods for international inbound mails are thus agreed by the recipient before delivery. As result of these steps, delays are expected for International inbound mail to China.

Princestamps · Post by **Princestamps** » 01 Feb 2020 05:07

Nothing here, but our mail service is so slow and hopeless, it takes a week for a letter to get across town, any flu infected mail from China won't arrive until April.

Ironic all the useless face masks are made in China. One phramacy here got pinged for selling them at $30 each. The people running it are Chinese immigrants.

They are to annouce today if we have our first coronavirus patient. i am bit annoyed with alarmist headlines when only 3% of the flu patients die, the media are acting like its the bubonic plague.

Philexx · Post by **Philexx** » 01 Feb 2020 05:33

Well they let the Wuhan Football team land in Malaga a couple of days ago so everything must be alright then

Yes I read most of the masks have been purchased by Asians so perhaps sending them to relatives, or selling them online for much more.

Deutsche Post is reporting delays in post coming from the province affected, and the first newspaper story has appeared worrying whether coronavirus may arrive by post.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 01 Feb 2020 07:07

I have wondered about postal delays from China.

There are envelopes & cards I sent between Christmas & New Year from China that have not arrived in Australia, USA & Canada.

Perhaps they are being held somewhere

erich · Post by **erich** » 01 Feb 2020 07:12

Disinfected covers need to make a comeback!

steevh · Post by **steevh** » 01 Feb 2020 07:41

I would have thought the post was too slow for it to still be infectious by the time it made it from Wuhan to wherever (outside of China, that is).

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 17 Feb 2020 15:17

I spoke to Australia Post (131318) today & this fellow could have talked the leg off a chair.

I asked about postcards I had sent from China & Hong Kong to Australia, Canada & the USA. I asked was it being held in quarantine somewhere as I had sent 23 items between 24th December & 4th January & only 9 had been delivered.

He wasn't aware whether there was a ban on incoming ordinary mail from China & Hong Kong but there was on parcels. He suggested China had more important things to worry about at the moment than deliver mail.

He added if we did that in Australia, Australia Post wouldn't have enough space to put the parcels. They have to empty the warehouses each day as tomorrow's lot will fill the warehouses again.

Hence why as I read on another thread that Australia Post Couriers were likened to kids playing "ducky, ducky". Ring the doorbell, drop card & run. Their vans are so overloaded they can't wait around for a chat & make the post offices by 4pm.

He said letters & cards are a very small part of their business, they are in & out very quickly. I asked about 50c priority labels & he said they made no difference in delivery time. Save your money on those.

Of those 23 cards I mentioned before 5 out of 6 from HK had been delivered & 4 out of 17 from China.

vicaf60 · Post by **vicaf60** » 17 Feb 2020 18:27

Belpost announced in their website that they suspended accepting any mail addressed to China, due to cancelled air flights of their mail carrying aircargo partners, with no final date indicated when the suspension will be withdrawn.

I suppose it means no incoming mail from China, as well.

lightningstamp · Post by **lightningstamp** » 07 Mar 2020 06:35

Anyone have an update on this...

Is it still safe to exchange with collectors from Italy or Asia, where the coronavirus is more prominent?

Have any collectors experienced delays with sending letters or packages?

According to the WHO, the virus can survive on surfaces from a few hours to several days, depending on the weather. On the Canada Post website it only states that there are delays in sending/receiving from Italy and significant delays sending/receiving from China

AMark · Post by **AMark** » 07 Mar 2020 07:01

A statement from Canada Post about delivery to China

Yellow alert: We will attempt delivery to these communities and regions.

Updated on: February 06, 2020

Canada Post continues to accept mail and parcels for delivery in China, Hong Kong, Mongolia and Macao however senders should expect significant delays on all services due to activities by the destination countries to contain the impact of the coronavirus and by the limited availability of air transportation. Senders are reminded the on-time delivery guarantee does not apply in the case of events beyond the control of Canada Post.

A statement from Canada Post about delivery to Italy

Yellow alert: We will attempt delivery to these communities and regions.
Date posted: February 26, 2020

Effective February 22, mail and parcel delivery to some regions of Italy are experiencing delays due to a temporary closure of postal facilities by Poste Italiane. Please note the on-time delivery guarantee for Xpresspost-International does not apply in the case of delay or non-delivery caused by an event beyond the control of Canada Post.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 07 Mar 2020 08:00

Update on my post of February 17.

6 out of 6 delivered from Hong Kong, 4 out of 17 delivered from China.

Don't know whether the 13 undelivered from China have been stolen or stored in a warehouse here, there or somewhere in between.

Allanswood · Post by **Allanswood** » 07 Mar 2020 19:25

I don't think any delays are caused by the actual virus, but by the fact that there won't be many actual employees out and about sorting or delivering into those areas.

22028 · Post by **22028** » 07 Mar 2020 19:39

The Munich International Stamp Fair Philatelia München has been stopped after the first day.

QUOTE
Latest information Friday, 06 March 23 hrs
This evening, the health authorities have prohibited the execution of the numismatics and the further execution of the philatelia. Please do not come to the MOC.
UNQUOTE

HalfpennyYellow · Post by **HalfpennyYellow** » 07 Mar 2020 20:49

On 19 February Malta suspended postal services to China due to the number of cancelled flights.

https://www.maltapost.com/news-details?id=5032

Today the first case of coronavirus in Malta (an Italian girl who had been in self-quarantine) was reported.

drkohler · Post by **drkohler** » 08 Mar 2020 08:19

Princestamps wrote: Ironic all the useless face masks are made in China.

Afaik, as one of the few trading partners left, Iran has been exporting medical and surgical equipment (including masks) to China up to the end of February. They probably wish they hadn't sent masks by now.
And more and more European countries are canceling (cancelling for the Brits..) flights to and from China, so mail service is only going downwards in the near future.

Allanswood · Post by **Allanswood** » 08 Mar 2020 08:47

Why do some (well... one), think the face masks are "useless"?

kuikka · Post by **kuikka** » 08 Mar 2020 08:55

One question would be, did he mean "all masks are useless" or "some masks are useless, but all of the useless masks are made in China"? I suppose that at least some of the masks don't fulfill the hopes of their (non-professional) users. At the same time, some of the masks are such that doctors are requesting them in areas where there is a shortage of masks.

drkohler · Post by **drkohler** » 08 Mar 2020 09:54

Allanswood wrote:Why do some (well... one), think the face masks are "useless"?

Not exactly useless, but usually used wrongly.
The way of infection is by facial contact with the virus. If you are infected and wear a mask, sneezing/coughing into the mask will likely protect whoever is around you.
If you are not infected, the usual path of getting a virus is by contact of your face with your hands. That experiment has been done times and again. A person is filmed while doing whatever s/he does and the number of times a hand (usually unknowingly) touches a part of the face is counted. That number per hour is quite high. With or without a mask, you will touch your face eventually, several times per hour. If you somehow picked up the virus with your hand, it will end up in your face, no matter whether you wear a mask or not. Hence washing your hands is the way to go, not wearing a mask. The art is not to constantly wash/sterilise your hands as that would be detrimental to the skin, particularly when using some alcohol (even worse vinegar containing) disinfectant.

Allanswood · Post by **Allanswood** » 08 Mar 2020 10:08

My habit for years has been to use my left hand for "me" and my right hand for "you" - in other words only my left hand touches my face, nose, eyes and my right hand pushes buttons, touches keypads and shakes in welcome.

Even learnt recently to sneeze/cough into my elbow.

If i'm not sure or use my left by accident - just soap and water wash.

I would wear a mask during high risk events, because I don't want to breath in what some other twit sneezes or coughs at me, even from 5m away. And I don't wear a "surgical" mask, I use a P2, same as for the bushfire smoke.

The other problem is that so many just don't remove a mask properly after use - the front may be now covered in virus and they just grab it with their bare hands and take the mask off thinking "all good".

norvic · Post by **norvic** » 14 Mar 2020 21:26

Royal Mail have issued new guidance, and instructions to staff, which might impact on claims with eBay & PayPal etc.

Signing for and receiving items

In order to protect both our people and customers as much as possible, we will not be handing over our hand-held devices to customers to capture signatures. Postmen and women will instead log the name of the person accepting the item. This will apply to Special Delivery Guaranteed, Tracked 24/48 with Signature and Signed For services.

Additionally, for all customers (including those who are self-isolating) where we need to deliver any parcel that won’t fit through your letterbox, we will place your item at your door. We will then step aside to a safe distance while you retrieve it. This will ensure your item is delivered securely rather than being left outside.

If you are unable to come to the door at all we will issue a ‘Something for You’ card, advising of other ways you can arrange to get your item. For example, by getting a friend or family member to collect the parcel from our local Customer Service Point on your behalf.

Instead of a signature, the postperson will write 'COV19' on the PDA and this is what Track and Trace shows for the special delivery item I collected this morning.

Of course none of the postal people should be infected although they may be before they show symptoms. The measures are more designed to protect employees for the numerous customers that they must deliver to.

HalfpennyYellow · Post by **HalfpennyYellow** » 17 Mar 2020 04:59

MaltaPost has just issued a press release including measures taken due to the coronavirus pandemic. For the time being, signatures are no longer a requirement for registered mail, but the recipient's name and ID card number will be recorded by the postal workers.

The press release confirms that alternative routing has been made for European countries which have a travel ban. The mail service to China is no longer suspended.

https://www.maltapost.com/news-details?id=5043

vicaf60 · Post by **vicaf60** » 17 Mar 2020 06:42

Here in Belarus, mail is not accepted to Czech Republic and Italy, bedide China (as on this day, March 16) - the news from an operator at the post office where I posted 2 letters.

henrik_rrb · Post by **henrik_rrb** » 17 Mar 2020 08:35

Swedish Postnord today announced that they from today have to stop sending post and packages to most countries world wide. Those they will still send to are all the countries within EU, Australia, Hongkong, Iceland, Japan, Canada, Liechtenstein, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, UK, South Korea, USA and Åland.

The post offices will still allow post and packages to every country in the world, but will keep those that are going to other countries than the ones above in storages until they found other ways than flights to transport them.

Many deliveries, also to the countries above, will for now be made by sea and most probably take longer time than usual. All according to a press release from the Swedish Post.

Post by **gavin-h** » 18 Mar 2020 02:42

norvic wrote:Royal Mail have issued new guidance, and instructions to staff, which might impact on claims with eBay & PayPal etc.

Signing for and receiving items

In order to protect both our people and customers as much as possible, we will not be handing over our hand-held devices to customers to capture signatures. Postmen and women will instead log the name of the person accepting the item. This will apply to Special Delivery Guaranteed, Tracked 24/48 with Signature and Signed For services.

Not reached our neck of the woods yet.

Just today, postie handed me a signed-for letter then handed me his hand-held and asked me to sign in the box with my finger.

I said "Should we be doing this with a 2-metre long stick?"

He laughed and said "Not just yet".

I laughed too.

fromdownunder · Post by **fromdownunder** » 18 Mar 2020 08:49

It happened to me twice on Monday. I didn't have to sign for my scripts in the morning (although they were happy to handle the cash I handed over!), and later in the afternoon I got a Registered package, and was not allowed to touch the postman's signature device.

So Friday I signed for a Registered Package, Monday I didn't. Things are moving fast.

Norm

norvic · Post by **norvic** » 20 Mar 2020 21:22

From Royal Mail today:

Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm

For items posted from Thursday 19 March 2020 onwards, we’ll no longer guarantee deliveries by 1pm the next working day. We’ll still prioritise Special Delivery parcels and letters and will aim to deliver by 1pm or before the end of day. Resource implications of the latest coronavirus advice means we may not be able to meet the customer promise of guaranteed next day delivery in all locations at all times.

Our Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am service remains unchanged; we still guarantee to deliver by 9am.

On the matter of not signing PDAs, I understand that different places are using different codes, but not necessarily with any defined pattern.

The first video on this page shows the PDA marked XP1, at about 1:20. Also shown is how the HR department is treating staff and a few cautious words from the CWU.
https://www.myroyalmail.com/coronavirus

vicaf60 · Post by **vicaf60** » 20 Mar 2020 23:15

vicaf60 wrote:Here in Belarus, mail is not accepted to Czech Republic and Italy, bedide China (as on this day, March 16) - the news from an operator at the post office where I posted 2 letters.

An update: On Wednesday evening, post offices in Belarus received an official order not to accept mail to any foreign destination, except for Russia and China with "dependencies" (Hong Kong, Macao)

sebjarod · Post by **sebjarod** » 21 Mar 2020 04:47

Currently, the French post doesn't handle parcels to these destinations "until the end of the crisis":
- Tunisia
- French Polynesia
- Mongolia
- Azerbaijan
- The Philippines
- Almost all the Americas but the USA, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.

FairyFoot · Post by **FairyFoot** » 23 Mar 2020 00:22

The lovely people at Postcrossing have come up with https://www.postcrossing.com/mail-monitor

norvic · Post by **norvic** » 23 Mar 2020 04:17

Some notable omissions - China, Italy....

W5LDY · Post by **W5LDY** » 23 Mar 2020 08:06

Posted several International Tracked and Signed letters to Thailand on Tuesday, most have been delivered safely already.

sebjarod · Post by **sebjarod** » 24 Mar 2020 06:34

For the amateur of maritime postal history:

Today, the Prefect of St-Pierre-and-Miquelon ordered the shutdown of all air connection between the French overseas islands and Canada - there isn't direct flight to mainland France.

But, for some days, a fret and postal ship has been prepared to connect Metropolitan France and St-Pierre. Local news reported a 12-day trip soon starting from Europe.

BIGANDYN · Post by **BIGANDYN** » 24 Mar 2020 07:23

Facebook today......All International Mail from Fiji suspended until further notice.

Looks as though there are no international flights into/out of Fiji at all.

Wonder if they'll go back to surface mail?

ekbustad · Post by **ekbustad** » 24 Mar 2020 08:43

vicaf60 wrote:
vicaf60 wrote:Here in Belarus, mail is not accepted to Czech Republic and Italy, bedide China (as on this day, March 16) - the news from an operator at the post office where I posted 2 letters.
An update: On Wednesday evening, post offices in Belarus received an official order not to accept mail to any foreign destination, except for Russia and China with "dependencies" (Hong Kong, Macao)

This sounds more political than anything -- they have land borders with four other countries, they could nust drive the mail to the border and hand it over.

Global Admin · Post by **Global Admin** » 24 Mar 2020 09:15

sebjarod wrote:For the amateur of maritime postal history:

Today, the Prefect of St-Pierre-and-Miquelon ordered the shutdown of all air connection between the French overseas islands and Canada - there isn't direct flight to mainland France.

But, for some days, a fret and postal ship has been prepared to connect Metropolitan France and St-Pierre. Local news reported a 12-day trip soon starting from Europe.

When we visited a few years back there were 2 or 3 flights a day anyway, from St. Johns Newfoundland, where we flew in from and I think, one from Halifax.

maszki · Post by **maszki** » 25 Mar 2020 02:39

Margo, I haven't been able to confirm it yet but I am hearing that Poczta Polska is banning the movement of all international parcels.

You queried the time life span of the virus. There is nothing definite yet but based upon the lifespan of previous coronavirus outbreaks the span could be up to 9 days depending on surface and temperature... https://www.livescience.com/how-long-coronavirus-last-surfaces.html

The message is that if you want to protect yourself you should disinfect everything that you come into contact with...mail. newspapers, food etc and then wash your hands.

mikey1327 · Post by **mikey1327** » 26 Mar 2020 12:56

Just saw this.

Red alert: Canada Post is not accepting mail and parcels for these countries due to a temporary service disruption.
Date posted: March 25, 2020

ALBANIA
ARGENTINA
AUSTRIA
BELGIUM
BERMUDA
BOLIVIA
BOSNIA/HERZEGOV
BRUNEI
CAYMAN ISLANDS
CHAD
CHILE
COLOMBIA
CYPRUS
DENMARK
DJIBOUTI
DOMINICA
ECUADOR
EGYPT
ESTONIA
FINLAND
FR POLYNESIA
GREECE
GUADELOUPE
GUYANA
HAITI
HONDURAS
INDIA
IRAN
KAZAKHSTAN
KUWAIT
LATVIA
LEBANON
LIBYA
LUXEMBOURG
MACEDONIA
MADAGASCAR
MALDIVES
MALTA
MOLDOVA
MONGOLIA
MYANMAR
NICARAGUA
NORWAY
PANAMA
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
PERU
PHILIPPINES
POLAND
PORTUGAL
RUSSIA
SAINT LUCIA
SAMOA
SAUDI ARABIA
SERBIA
SOUTH AFRICA
SPAIN
SRI LANKA
ST VINCENT
SURINAME
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
TUNISIA
TURKEY
UKRAINE
UNITED ARAB EMR
VIRGIN IS-BR

https://www.canadapost.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/service-alerts.page

MJ's pet · Post by **MJ's pet** » 26 Mar 2020 13:31

This is the Australia Post situation re international mail as at 26 March 2020.

https://auspost.com.au/about-us/news-media/important-updates ... ernational

1 All services suspended. For items lodged to these countries before Monday 16 March 2020 we are working with airline partners and local postal operators to move the items as quickly as possible.

2 Standard and Economy parcel services and all letter services are suspended. For items lodged to these countries before Monday 16 March 2020 we are working with airline partners and local postal operators to move the items as quickly as possible. Express parcel services are still available.

3 No longer performing signature on delivery due to government restrictions.

4 Delivery of items from these countries and territories to Australia have been suspended by the local postal operator.

sebjarod · Post by **sebjarod** » 31 Mar 2020 05:05

In French Polynesia, Fare Tara - La Poste is on lockdown mode concerning all postal services. That explains why there is no more postal services between the French overseas archipelago and the rest of the world.

From 23 March to [at least] 6 April:
- distribute Chronopost express parcel/mail and registered mail only for passports and medical supplies.
- suspended: distribution of ordinary and registered letters, parcels and packets.
- suspended: sending registered mail inside Polynesia and RoW.

Mostly Fare Tara is only continuing banking services in order for customers to get access to their money.

Source: https://www.farerata.pf/fr/covid-19-mesures-de-securite-et-f ... x-de-poste

starling · Post by **starling** » 31 Mar 2020 22:50

Australia is slowly being cut off from getting mail from the rest of the world. No flights means no practical way of getting stuff to us, besides a multi-month journey by boat.

As of today the list includes Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and Germany, these countries are no longer accepting mail addressed to Australia. There are plenty of others, but these are the major "philatelic nations" that I could see on the list. The USA and UK haven't cut us off (yet).

There is no point adding another screen shot of the Australia Post page as it changes daily, so keep this link bookmarked. There is also an increasing list of countries we cannot send mail to as well.

https://auspost.com.au/about-us/news-media/important-updates ... ernational

Scott

Global Admin · Post by **Global Admin** » 31 Mar 2020 23:25

starling wrote:Australia is slowly being cut off from getting mail from the rest of the world.

As of today the list includes Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and Germany, these countries are no longer accepting mail addressed to Australia.

Scott where are you sourcing this info?

lesbootman · Post by **lesbootman** » 31 Mar 2020 23:51

Royal Mail has currently suspended services to a number of countries including India, South Africa and Russia but mail to many countries (including Australia) is still being accepted.

https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/ ... t-bulletin

faro · Post by **faro** » 01 Apr 2020 00:22

lesbootman wrote:Royal Mail has currently suspended services to a number of countries including India, South Africa and Russia but mail to many countries (including Australia) is still being accepted.

https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/ ... t-bulletin

It would be fair to say that the current situation is confusing and not particularly consistent. As might be expected, I guess...

e.g. UK -> Bosnia and Herzegovina was on go-slow from 23/3 and suspended 27/3 but in the other direction (from Pošte Srpske, at least) the UK is one of the few remaining destinations available for regular mail, Australia and New Zealand having joined their suspended list on 25/3.
(I shall resist the temptation to try to send a letter routed Bosnia and Herzegovina R.S. -> UK -> Australia

)

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » 01 Apr 2020 00:55

Posted on the 17th. 2 weeks during the current crisis. Pretty good.

Things may well be different from now on though

Local mail being delivered every second day now.

sebjarod · Post by **sebjarod** » 01 Apr 2020 02:26

sebjarod wrote:For the amateur of maritime postal history:

Today, the Prefect of St-Pierre-and-Miquelon ordered the shutdown of all air connection between the French overseas islands and Canada - there isn't direct flight to mainland France.

But, for some days, a fret and postal ship has been prepared to connect Metropolitan France and St-Pierre. Local news reported a 12-day trip soon starting from Europe.

An update: In the end La Poste decided to send and receive all mail/parcel by the (existing) economic way: surface to/from Halifax, Nova Scotia and then airway to/from France.

lesbootman · Post by **lesbootman** » 01 Apr 2020 02:58

Internal mail within the UK seems to be working OK. I sent out some letters with SAE's enclosed last Friday and a couple of the SAE's got back to me this morning (Tuesday).

AMark · Post by **AMark** » 01 Apr 2020 06:17

Changes to Canada Post Service

Important Changes to Canada's Postal Service

OTTAWA – Canada Post understands the important role the postal service plays and is committed to serving Canadians while taking action to keep our people and our communities safe. To do so effectively in these challenging times, we will continue to review and quickly adapt our approach with health and safety as our primary goal.

Canada Post has initiated the following changes to our delivery operations and retail postal network:

Changes to our retail Post Office network

Hours of Service: In many post offices operated by Canada Post, we will reduce hours of service, opening one hour later and closing one hour earlier to clean, restock and provide some relief to employees. As well, for the first hour of each day, we will offer priority service to those whom are at a higher risk (the elderly or people with compromised immune systems). Franchise operated post offices will follow the measures put in place by franchise operators.

We are working to keep our post offices open, but some may close due to building closures beyond our control and some smaller locations may close due to personnel reasons. In these cases, we will direct customers to the nearest operating post office.

Social & Physical Distancing: We are asking waiting customers to please space themselves 2 metres (6 feet) apart. We are working on signage and floor decals for larger post offices. For smaller offices, we will look to limit the number of customers. We are also working on clear barriers for the counter to increase safety.

Transactions: We will continue to accept cash, but are encouraging customers to pay by using the “tap” function on their debit or credit cards where possible.

Parcel pick-up: Parcels left at the post-office for pickup will not be returned-to-sender until further notice. We’ve suspended our normal 15-day hold period. We ask that customers who are feeling ill or self-isolating, to please delay their visit to the post office and to pick up their parcel when it’s safe to do so. Further changes to our parcel delivery process are below.

Changes to how we deliver

Parcel Delivery: To eliminate customer interactions at the door, reduce post office customer traffic and support social & physical distancing, we have implemented a Knock, Drop and Go approach. Delivery employees will knock or ring, choose the safest location available to leave the item and then depart for the next address. This change eliminates the need for signatures at the door and greatly reduces the number of parcels sent to our post offices for pick-up.

Items that require Proof of Age, ID or Customs payments will be sent directly from our depots to a retail post office for pick-up with no restrictions on when customers can pick up the item. Customers will receive a Delivery Notice Card in their mail letting them know which post office is holding their item for pickup.

Service guarantees: Our goal is to continue providing timely and reliable service. But to be safe, give our people time and manage potential challenges, we have suspended on On-time Delivery Guarantees for all parcel services, until further notice.

Help with Social Distancing

We please ask you to respect social and physical distancing with our employees who you may see out in the community. This will further support the social distancing initiatives we’ve implemented in our plants, depots and post offices. Like other organizations providing important services, our people are working hard under difficult circumstances.

During delivery: Please give our employees space and avoid opening the door or greeting them personally when they are at the door to deliver, or filling a community mailbox.

In post offices: When in a retail post office, please practise social distancing and the other measures that have been implemented.

While we all support social and physical distancing efforts to keep our communities safe, social interaction from a distance is still very much appreciated by our people. A simple smile and wave through the window to your delivery agent, a supportive thumbs-up to the driver of the Canada Post truck as they go by or patience and a thank you to the person working at the post office all go a very long way these days.

We thank Canadians for their patience and support during this period of significant change. We continue to follow the guidance of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) when it comes to creating new safety measures in our plants, depots, post offices as well as in our communities.

Source: https://www.canadapost.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/ ... wsreleases