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Pushing the Envelope Blog

Operating During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Date: 04/06/20 | Category: OIG

The global pandemic of COVID-19 has impacted our country in ways that were unimaginable months ago. It is changing how people across the U.S. and around the world are working, shopping, even interacting with one another. States have ordered many stores and businesses to close. Businesses that continue to operate are faced with protecting their employees and customers, while coming up with creative ways to market and deliver their products.

The Postal Service continues to serve the public, operating on the front line, fulfilling the universal service obligation to deliver to every house and business every day. USPS is finding itself serving a population that is relying on it now more than ever. For many home-bound and quarantined people, home delivery is the only source for medicine and other vital supplies. During this time, the Postal Service has also prioritized the safety of its employees and customers.

We recognize the reality of the pandemic and have adapted our operations to maintain continuity while ensuring the safety of our employees. We are taking abundant care to minimize exposure to both our employees and Postal Service employees, using technology whenever possible. As we have told our employees, we also ask you to follow CDC guidelines, remain home as much as possible, and stay safe.

For questions or concerns about delivery during the pandemic, please go to usps.com to track mail or get information from the USPS Coronavirus FAQs page.

Postal Service employees, for work-related complaints or issues, please use our Hotline to let us know.

Leave a Comment

Your Name
Doug Clark
Oct 13, 2020
Your Comment
Hi, for a change it was nice to see the front desk workers with masks on because for a couple months now they haven’t been.
However, one worker came out the side door to ask if there were any packages she could take because there was a long line. She had the mask on her chin, not covering her mouth or nose. She went from customer to customer without social distancing. I’m just trying to figure out why other postal workers don’t remind her!
Your Name
Sophy
Oct 10, 2020
Your Comment
A USPS office full of belligerent, incompetent maskholes. None wearing masks. When I noted, "you're not wearing a mask!" the clerk ignored me. I repeated, stepping back. She said they're following policy. BOTH of them. No masks in sight. The lobby full of older people waiting in line, about to go up and get exposed to the COVID-19 these two young people are likely to have. When I say she's not protecting herself and she is endangering others, she gets nasty, then says my 1.4 pound package will take a minimum of $30 to get it to its destination in 2-4 days. I took the package and stepped far away from the desk to stop being closely exposed, and went to take the photo to provide as evidence - they started yelling that they'd call the police, and I had to leave, and it was illegal, and "NEVER COME BACK HERE! YOU ARE BANNED!!!"

I took it to a USPS office 15 miles away, where masked and competent employees - who were also personable and professional, mailed it out for $13.00 for a 2-3 day delivery. I guess they haven't yet been ordered to do what they can to make USPS go down, as the Clinton Township office has been. With fake raised prices, and maskholes with nastiness, that office will lose business. Guess that's the plan.


CLINTON TOWNSHIP Michigan, USPS on Garfield
Your Name
Rachelle Turenne
Oct 8, 2020
Your Comment
Are letter carriers not obligated to deliver mail into designated mail boxes anymore due to covid-19?
  
Your Name
Donna K
Dec 29, 2020
Your Comment
My sister is a mail carrier and yes they still have to deliver mail.
Your Name
Jon
Oct 7, 2020
Your Comment
Hello,

I am concerned for my community. Some of your front desk workers at the Penn Valley, California branch are not wearing masks when exchanging packages and money over the counter. Please address this situation with the employees at that branch. I would like a follow up email on this problem. Thank you.

Jon
Your Name
Debra Day
Oct 6, 2020
Your Comment
I have to go into the post office in Gold Beach as I do not have mail delivery on my street. Almost every day, there are one or two customers without masks coming or going when I am in the post office. The employees do not enforce this rule. This is enforceable and I hope to see it done immediately.
Your Name
CeeCee Linder
Oct 5, 2020
Your Comment
Hello, I had ordered an item online in August from England UK and to date, October 5, 2020, I have still not received the package? Is there a hold-up at US Customs on packages being delivered to the USA due to the Covid pandemic?
  
Your Name
Angelia
Oct 13, 2020
Your Comment
I have the same problem! My tracking says inbound into customs your package is being processed by United States customs. It's been the same status for 45 days!
     
Your Name
Erik
Oct 14, 2020
Your Comment
OMG! Same! I sent a package out to Brazil in the beginning of September.
I hadn't gotten any update for 10+ days so I decided to asked my local USPS about it.
They said it will be a 2 month wait at the minimum..
  
Your Name
Felix
Nov 10, 2020
Your Comment
Hi CeeCee,

Have you gotten the package from the UK? If yes, how did it take? I am waiting for an order and has been 11 days now. Thank you,

Felix
Your Name
Marlon Harris
Oct 4, 2020
Your Comment
Sunday October 4 mail man drop a package and was not wearing a face mask while my wife was outside he saw her ther and still walk up too her not social distances enough. And got the package from there . We are high risk because of our age and health condition also. So now we have too worry about his negligence. Because I don’t no who he is around after his work day
Your Name
Hhyde
Oct 2, 2020
Your Comment
This website says usps office of inspector general.
So why do you keep referring complaints to usps. The reason we are on your website is to report the service of the usps. We want to get better results, not less. So if you cannot do anything, then don't have this portal to take complaints or questions. It does not serve any purpose other than getting people more frustrated
Your Name
Elaine mccleery
Oct 2, 2020
Your Comment
This is awful my mail has been stuck at this depot since September 5th and cause I’m in the uk there is no way to contact this office it needs to be updated for uk persons
Your Name
Anonymous
Sep 30, 2020
Your Comment
Non enforcement of mask policy in a pa office unsafe conditions
Your Name
Ashley
Sep 29, 2020
Your Comment
I ordered a $200 gameboy via eBay. I work the exact hours the post office is open, and even work all day Saturday. There is no way that I can sign for a package unless I receive some sort of slip so that I may ask for the time off to go collect said item.
This gameboy is a special edition item and that had the seller purchase the signature upon delivery.
However, my package stated it was delivered and no one can seem to find this package anywhere. My local post office was able to tell me that it was delivered and even explained the location of my mailbox.
I’m currently jumping through hoops to try and figure out how I can get my item or my money back, at the very least.
I was just informed that due to Covid my mailman can legally sign for my package as it’s not got a restriction on who can sign. And so that’s what he did. He stated the package was small (it was, it was a gameboy advance sp) so he signed for it and put it in my mailbox.
Is there anything I can do to find my package or get my money back? My local post office is telling me to just kiss my $200 goodbye.
Please help!!!
Your Name
William Edmundson
Sep 25, 2020
Your Comment
Can CMRA agents such as business centers operate in all 50 states as essential services during the current Covid-19 pandemic assuming they are form 1583 compliant? Can they operate in Virginia? Thanks!
Your Name
Anonymous
Sep 24, 2020
Your Comment
I am writing to inform you that with the exception of 1 person, I observed all USPS employees at 10201 Flatlands Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11236, not wearing masks or wearing the masks on their chin. They are also not asking people who come in to wear a mask. Since this is very negligent, I am notifying your office. Can something be done to ensure they are required to wear masks, and enforce the rule with customers? This helps to protect us all.
  
Your Name
OIG Moderator
Sep 24, 2020
Your Comment
Hello. Thank you for your comment. Regarding your concern, please file a complaint directly with the Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 or at https://emailus.usps.com/emailUs/iq/usps/request.do?forward=emailUs​. Just choose the tab marked "Personnel."
Your Name
Tracy Winkles
Sep 23, 2020
Your Comment
I live in a rural area. I have a chart driveway. I have 3 neighbors that have the same length and same type driveway for 22 years I have received packages now all of a sudden when I need them the carrier is refusing to use my driveway not that she hasn’t already been using it for several months if not years.... 1st it was I have big rock that will split your tires.. well there are 4 cars and a truck that use this driveway everyday more than once never had a flat on my driveway. Next big limbs . Nope still cars and truck everyday back and forth no problem. Now it’s washed out.. no same thing we are in and out all day long!! Recently my husband and I had Covid so I ordered some stuff that I needed well hoping UPS or FED EX would bring no they left note it at post office well my son couldn’t get it he works offices is only open 6 hrs a day closes at 4pm so my son worked on my driveway he bush hog the sides pushed back some bushes to make it easier to see. Well they still won’t deliver. Amazon is gonna have to be notified because I no longer need the package that they are holding hostage. They deliver to the other homes just not mine. I’m being discriminated .
  
Your Name
OIG Moderator
Sep 24, 2020
Your Comment
Hello, Tracy. Thank you for your comment. Regarding your concern, please file a complaint directly with the Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 or at https://emailus.usps.com/emailUs/iq/usps/request.do?forward=emailUs​. Just choose the tab marked "Personnel."
Your Name
Daisy
Sep 23, 2020
Your Comment
What happen to all my mails? I have not received a single piece of mails or weekly circular for 3 months. Are you people doing your job? Or delivering my mails somewhere else? Apparently my neighbors haven’t seen any of my mails either. It can’t just vanishes of this planet. Unless usps let a stranger change my address? That would be another issue itself. Get your circus acts together and stop blaming COVID-19! If amazon can deliver my orders in a week, so can usps!
  
Your Name
Cartero
Sep 23, 2020
Your Comment
Not a single piece for months suggest only a couple of options. First due to a safety issue your address was determined unsafe and the local district used their zero tolerance policy to refuse delivery otherwise some pieces dual addressed to current resident would have slipped through even if an identity thief put a change of address in your name and the regular carrier thought the address was vacant. Less likely but also a possible culprit is that you moved your mailbox from the previous location in order to make the retrieval easier for you but also making it take more time for the carrier on the route to deliver to your address and the local postmaster is refusing to accept that new location as a valid delivery point. Have you attempted calling the local post office to find out what the issue is?
Your Name
Scott Miller
Sep 18, 2020
Your Comment
Earlier today I went to the local Post Office I've used for almost a decade. When it was my turn in line the USPS clerks one by one exited into the back. After a good 5 to 10 minutes as the line of customers backed up out the door finally one clerk came out. When I inquired what was going on he openly admitted no one wanted to serve me due to the fact I was NOT wearing a mask. I am legally exempted in my state due to small-cell lung cancer. I asked him if he was familiar with state law. He stated he did not. I talked to the manager and she told me she had no authority to force her employees to serve me. Is this legal? Can I legally be denied service by USPS employees for not wearing a mask when I have a legitimate and well-documented health/disability exemption?
  
Your Name
Tyler Fink
Sep 22, 2020
Your Comment
So due your lung condition you choose to risk your respiratory health by not wearing a mask?
     
Your Name
Jack
Sep 29, 2020
Your Comment
What an ignorant reply, Tyler! Do yourself a favor, educate yourself! Cloth masks do NOT protect the wearer from viruses! In fact, doctors do not recommend people with lung conditions to wear masks at all!