Coronavirus: Will Mail Be Impacted In Ohio?

CLEVELAND — One government organization that is unlikely to be shut down during the outbreak of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, is the U.S. Postal Service. The organization said it is closely monitoring the virus' spread and speaking regularly with employees about safety protocols.

"We are sharing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidance regarding the COVID-19 epidemic to our employees via stand-up talks, employee news articles, messages on bulletin boards, and internal messaging inside USPS workplaces," a spokesperson for the Postal Service in Ohio told Patch.

The Postal Service defined itself as an "essential service because of its ability to help Americans during social distancing restrictions or even shelter-in-place orders." Even in times of crisis, the postal carriers will deliver medications, social security checks and is the leading service for online purchases, the organization said.

"Regarding the importation of packages, the CDC states there is likely very low risk that the COVID-19 can be spread from products or packaging shipped from China, because of poor survivability of coronaviruses on surfaces. Also, according to the CDC, there currently is no evidence to support transmission of coronavirus associated with imported goods; and there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 in the United States associated with imported goods," the spokesperson told Patch in an emailed statement.

The Postal Service said it is experiencing only minor interruptions to its normal operations because of the pandemic. There is a temporary suspension on package guarantees for Priority Mail Express International shipments headed to China and Hong Kong. Customers may also see delays in mail going to or coming in from China and some European countries.