BOSTON — A New York City mailman has died after contracting COVID-19 and at least 85 postal employees nationwide have tested positive for the virus.
Locally, as many telecommute, thousands of postal employees in Massachusetts continue to report to work every day. Two postal workers Boston 25 News spoke with told us they know of three USPS workers in the Greater Boston area who are COVID-19 positive: a mail carrier in Braintree, a clerk in Sherborn, and a truck driver in Boston.
“Truck drivers do exactly that. They go from each facility, station, branch different times of day so he could have infected several people as well. So, there’s just a big fear here,” a worker told us.
We asked them about the volume of the mail.
They told us, “The packages have picked up drastically whether people are trying to find things for their kids to do getting puzzles maybe. We’re seeing bikes come through and people trying to get their own cleaning supplies... toilet paper, paper towels.”
The postal workers say the USPS is allowing workers with underlying health conditions, a fear of getting sick, or vulnerable family members to temporarily stay home.
“There are probably two dozen people out in Braintree sick right now. Whether they are sick or whether there just confining themselves to their homes, that’s like a HIPPA thing so we wouldn’t know that,” a worker said. “We weren’t sure people understand what we’re going through as well because people are getting angry at us. We’re just looking for maybe a little understanding for and for people to know what’s going on here.”
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A spokesperson for the Post Office’s Northeast Region told Boston 25 News through email the USPS is trying to reduce health risks for employees and customers through a number of initiatives, including modifying in-person signature requirements and creating social distancing in the branches:
"To reduce health risks, we also are temporarily modifying customer signature capture procedures. While maintaining a safe, appropriate distance, employees will request the customer’s first initial and last name so that the employee can enter the information on the electronic screen or hard copy items such as return receipts, PS Forms 3811 and 3829. For increased safety, employees will politely ask the customer to step back a safe distance or close the screen door/door so that they may leave the item in the mail receptacle or appropriate location by the customer door.
In addition, post offices are also using social distancing techniques:
- Place floor tape in the queue line (6 feet apart) and at the retail counter positions (3 feet away)
- Place the social distancing signage on the outer and inner lobby doors
- Where operationally feasible, utilize every other window station
- Follow CDC guidelines for prevention
We are proud of the work our employees play in processing, transporting and delivering mail and packages for the American public, which is a vital public service that is a part of this nation’s critical infrastructure. The Postal Service delivers much-needed medications and Social Security checks, and we are the leading delivery service for online purchases. The Postal Service is an essential service for purposes of compliance with state or municipality shelter-in-place orders or other social distancing restrictions."
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