We are encouraging healthy behaviors and protocols, including frequent hand washing, use of sanitizers and additional cleaning of work spaces, and are encouraging any employee who feels they are sick to stay home. We are offering liberal leave and have worked with our postal unions to temporarily expand leave options for our employees.”

Rod Spurgeon, U.S. Postal Service spokesman

U.S. Post Office
19437 N. New Tradition Road
Sun City West, AZ
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Postal service in Sun City West has experienced only minor operational impacts since strategies were put in place with the pandemic of COVID-19.

United State post offices around the country Feb. 10 temporarily suspended the guarantee of priority mail express international destined for China and Hong Kong, due to the widespread airline cancellations and restrictions into this area.

Rod Spurgeon, U.S. Postal Service spokesman, said USPS officials are monitoring the situation closely and provides daily updates for strategies and measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health departments.

USPS is sharing the CDC’s guidelines with employees via stand-up talks, employee news articles, messages on bulletin boards, videos and an intranet site directly to employees and within the USPS workplaces, according to Mr. Spurgeon. All is in place to ensure the health and safety of employees and the patrons who enter the building, he added.

“We are encouraging healthy behaviors and protocols, including frequent hand washing, use of sanitizers and additional cleaning of work spaces, and are encouraging any employee who feels they are sick to stay home,” Mr. Spurgeon said. “We are offering liberal leave and have worked with our postal unions to temporarily expand leave options for our employees.”

CDC officials, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Surgeon General indicated there is currently no evidence that COVID-19 is being spread through the mail.

“To reduce health risks, we also are temporarily modifying customer signature capture procedures,” Mr. Spurgeon said. “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 or door so that they may leave the item in the mail receptacle or appropriate location by the customer door.”

Some Sun City West residents may have experienced some delays in mail and packages destined to China, as well as from China and to and from European countries subject to restricted passenger airline travel, according to Mr. Spurgeon. USPS officials are undertaking all reasonable measures to minimize the impact on customers, he added.

USPS is an essential service for purposes of its compliance with state or municipality shelter-in-place orders or other social distancing restrictions, according to a USPS correspondence sent to Mr. Spurgeon. The postal service delivers medications, Social Security checks and is the leading delivery service for online purchases, the correspondence continued.