USPS file photo

By Scott Bolthouse | The Huron Hub
ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com
Published April 9, 2020

The United States Postal Service said mail delivery in some southeast Michigan zip codes will be made every other day due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

USPS says some customers in zip codes beginning with 480-485 and zip codes beginning with 492 are currently receiving mail every other day.

The Postal Service has had over 380 employees test positive for COVID-19 nationwide, according to USPS officials.

One Detroit-area employee died from the virus last week, officials confirmed.

USPS said it is responding to the virus by making some day-to-day changes, and also said that there is currently no evidence that COVID-19 is being spread through mail and packages.

Protecting carriers:

If a delivery requires a signature, carriers will knock on the door rather than touching the bell. They will maintain a safe distance, and instead of asking for a signature on the mobile device, they’ll ask for a name. The carrier will leave the mail or package in a safe place for retrieval.

USPS says customers shouldn’t approach a carrier to take a delivery, instead allowing them to leave the mailbox area before collecting it. Most schools are not in session and children should also be encouraged to not approach a postal vehicle or carrier.

“The United States Postal Service is proud of the work our more than 600,000 employees play in processing, transporting, and delivering mail and packages for the American public. Providing a vital public service is part of this nation’s critical infrastructure,” the company said.

Additional preventative steps taken by USPS:

-Ensuring millions of masks, gloves and sanitizing products are distributed and available to employees.
-Distributing sanitizing and cleaning product to more than 30,000 locations every day through the Postal Service supply chain.
-Reinforcing workplace behaviors to ensure that contact among employees and customers reflects the best guidance regarding healthy interactions, social distancing, and risk minimization. Measures have been implemented at retail facilities and mail processing facilities to ensure appropriate social distancing, including signage, floor tape, and “cough/sneeze” barriers.
-All cleaning occurs in a manner consistent with CDC guidance relating to this pandemic.

For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.

You can view a special COVID-19 (coronavirus) news section on HuronHub.com by clicking on this link.

For current and up-to-date information regarding the coronavirus, visit Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.