Service Alerts: COVID-19

Suspension Due to Unavailability of Transportation.

Continued suspension of ePacket Equivalent and IPA services (USPS) due to unavailability of transportation.

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

The Postal Service will temporarily suspend international mail acceptance for certain destinations due to service impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective April 7, 2020, the Postal Service has temporarily suspended international mail acceptance to destinations where air and sea transportation is unavailable due to widespread cancellations and restrictions into the area. Customers are asked to refrain from mailing items addressed to Benin until further notice.

Suspension due to foreign postal operator service suspension.

The government of Chad has decided to close its land borders and suspend all flights, except for cargo, as from 19 March 2020 until further notice. 

Suspension Due to Unavailability of Transportation.

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Service has been suspended as of 07 April 2020 until further notice. 

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Service has been suspended as of 07 April 2020 until further notice. Post offices will remain open to provide electronic services, postal payment services, and services on behalf of third parties. Postal workers will continue to comply with the safety measures implemented by the Cuban government.

Suspension Due to Unavailability of Transportation.

Suspension Due to Unavailability of Transportation.

Suspension due to foreign postal operator service suspension.

Honducor advises that it has suspended service across the entire supply chain, in accordance it the government lockdown of the entire territory of Honduras will until May 24, 2020, or a later date to be communicated in due course, (from the admission of international mail at land and sea borders, and at Ramon Villeda Morales Airport in San Pedro Sula and Toncontin Airport in Tegucigalpa). It, therefore, asks countries that normally send their mail to Honduras by air cargo or commercial flights not to do so for the time being; otherwise the mails will need to be stored in customs warehouses, generating significant extra costs. An exception may be made for humanitarian aid, which Honducor is able to process with the knowledge and prior authorization of the Honduran Government.

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Service has been suspended as of 07 April 2020 until further notice. 

Latvia’s post advises that it has extended the situation of force majeure until further notice. This is the result of an extended state of emergency through at least May 12 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The post can no longer guarantee service delivery standards. It has suspended processing of all inbound and outbound international mail conveyed via passenger air transport until further notice. It will strive to find alternative means to convey its outbound mail by truck or cargo air transport. Customers are advised that there may be significant delays. For preventive purposes, shipments are stored in a warehouse for 72 hours prior to transport. The post also will store postal items at its offices for up to 60 days to alleviate customers’ concerns about having to collect items immediately and help reduce the flow of customers at post offices.

The Postal Service will temporarily suspend international mail acceptance to destinations where transportation is unavailable due to widespread cancellations and restrictions into the area.

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Suspension due to foreign postal operator service suspension.

Libya's Postal service has alerted USPS that various postal operators are no longer able to process or deliver international mail or services originating from the United States due to service disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suspension due to foreign postal operator service suspension.

The Government of Madagascar has declared a state of sanitary emergency for a period of 15 days, with effect from 21 March 2020. In order to restrict human contact as far as possible, all passenger flights have been suspended, personal travel is strictly limited, and public transport services are no longer permitted to operate. These measures are having a severe impact on postal operations. Until further notice, post offices will be operating a minimum service and the delivery of mail (letter-post, parcel-post, and EMS items) is suspended. Consequently, Paositra Malagasy is no longer able to guarantee the quality of service for all categories of inbound and outbound mail (letter-post, parcel-post, and EMS items), in particular with regard to compliance with export and delivery standards for letter-post and EMS items.

Suspension due to foreign postal operator service suspension.

Mauritius Post has advised that all post offices nationwide remain closed for at least two more weeks, i.e. until April 15, 2020, in order to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). A situation of force majeure has been declared and severe delays are to be expected in processing, transport and delivery of all classes of mail items due to the suspension of postal services and various flight cancellations. The collection of a signature on delivery of registered postal items has been suspended until further notice.

Additionally, all inquiries, including those handled electronically through the Internet-based systems for parcel-post, EMS and registered items, as well as telephone inquiries to call agents, are liable to be disrupted. 

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Posta Moldovei has suspended all inbound and outbound mail (letter-post, parcel-post, and EMS items) until further notice.

Suspended all passenger flights from and to Yangon International Airport, with effect from 18 March 2020 until 30 April 2020 inclusive. Owing to this situation, Myanmar Post will be unable to provide outbound mail services (letter-post, parcel-post, and EMS items) to international destinations and is therefore ceasing, with immediate effect, to accept letter-post, parcel-post, and EMS items until passenger flights resume at Yangon International Airport.

Service suspended due to unavailable transportation. 

Suspension due to foreign postal operator service suspension.

All incoming and outgoing international flights to and from Panama have been suspended as of 19 March 2020. As a result, airlines have canceled mail transportation until further notice.  In view of this situation, Correos de Panamá would like to inform all member countries that transportation services for all categories of mail items (letter post, parcel post, and EMS) are suspended until further notice.  As a result, Correos de Panamá is no longer able to guarantee inbound and outbound mail standards and invokes the force majeure clause for quality of service and quality of remunerations for all categories of mail item (letter post, parcel post, and EMS) until further notice.  The postal network, national and international operations centers and national post offices will, however, remain open, but with a reduced workforce and modified working hours.

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Service has been suspended as of 07 April 2020 until further notice. 

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Service has been suspended as of 07 April 2020 until further notice. 

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation. 

Suspension due to foreign postal operator service suspension.

Samoa Post has advised that the suspension of all postal operations has been extended until further notice.

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Service has been suspended as of 07 April 2020 until further notice. 

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Service has been suspended as of 07 April 2020 until further notice. 

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Suspension due to the unavailability of transportation.

Service has been suspended as of 07 April 2020 until further notice. 

Tajik Post advises that the government has implemented a series of measures, effective from May 31, 2020, to reduce the risk of the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). These measures include the cancellation of all international flights. As this results in a lack of transport capacity, Tajik Post has declared a situation of force majeure, with effect from March 20. 2020, and the shipment of all categories of outbound and transit mail is suspended until further notice. Nevertheless, Tajik Post asks all Union member countries to continue sending their mail dispatches to Tajikistan via air cargo and charter flights, or by any other means of transport that remains possible. Inbound mail to Tajikistan will continue to be delivered as usual.

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Service has been suspended as of 07 April 2020 until further notice.

Suspension Due to Unavailability of Transportation.

Suspension Due to Unavailability of Transportation.

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Uruguay’s post has taken steps to minimize spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Staff numbers in postal facilities are being reduced as far as possible, and teleworking introduced where feasible. Direct physical contacts are being minimized. Post offices with large numbers of customers are being kept closed with special collection points set up directly with customers. These measures, along with the suspension and reduction of international flights and connections, will impact inbound and outbound postal operations and delivery.

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Service has been suspended as of 07 April 2020 until further notice. 

Service suspended due to unavailable transportation. 

Suspension due to unavailability of transportation.

Effective Friday, May 22, 2020, the Postal Service™ will resume acceptance of mail destined to Antigua and Barbuda. Expect delays. 

Effective Friday, May 22, 2020, the Postal Service™ will resume acceptance of mail destined to Aruba. Expect delays. 

Austrian Post has advised that significant delays are to be expected in the delivery of all inbound mail until April 14, or until regulatory measures are lifted. As a result, customers should expect delivery delays for all letters and parcels.

Service suspension lifted as of September 18, 2020. Please expect delays as deliveries resume. 

Service suspension lifted as of July 10, 2020. Please expect delays as deliveries resume. 

Effective Friday, May 22, 2020, the Postal Service™ will resume acceptance of mail destined to Barbados. Expect delays. 

The current situation will have a major impact on the quality of service for all types of inbound and outbound mail. Under these circumstances, RUE “Belpochta” can no longer guarantee service delivery standards (including delivery times and other quality parameters). As far as possible, international and domestic operations will be continued on a regular basis.

International and domestic operations will continue to operate normally as far as possible. However, several measures have been implemented to ensure the safety of both customers and staff, including the following:

• Post offices will remain open in general but will be closed on Saturdays

• For domestic and inbound international items that would normally require a signature, the postwoman  or postman will sign for a delivery in place of the customer (but in the customer’s presence)

• bpost is no longer able to guarantee delivery times, standard rules for signature on delivery, or availability of tracking data for shipments

Effective Friday, May 22, 2020, the Postal Service™ will resume acceptance of mail destined to Belize. Expect delays. 

Service resumped September 18, 2020. Bhutan Post is experiencing significant disruption to its daily operations. This is having a direct impact on service quality for international inbound and outbound services, and severe delays are to be expected until normal transport capacity becomes available. Bhutan Post is therefore declaring a situation of force majeure in relation to all international letter-post (including Prime Express), parcel-post and EMS services.

As of May 15, 2020, the Postal Service will now accept mail and parcels destined for Bosnia and Herzegovina. This applies to all service levels (IPA, DDU, and DDP). All parcels that have been held at our facility for these countries will be shipped at this time. Please expect delays as there will be a severe backlog. 

Bulgarian Government declared a state of emergency on 13 March 2020, and has introduced various measures such as self-isolation, social distancing, advising people to work from home and restricting travel, with the aim of minimizing the spread of COVID-19.  Under these circumstances, Bulgarian Posts can no longer guarantee service delivery standards (including delivery times and other quality parameters).

Effective May 29, 2020, the Postal Service™ will resume acceptance of mail destined to Cambodia. Expect delays. 

As airlines continue to reduce or cancel their flights to mainland China, there are heavy backlogs at the transit hubs and delays to and from China. 

According to the World Health Organization, coronaviruses do not survive for long on objects. It is therefore safe to receive postal items from China without risk of contracting the new coronavirus.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) continues to have a temporary suspension of the guarantee on Priority Mail Express International destined for China and Hong Kong, which has been effective since Monday, Feb. 10, 2020, due to widespread airline cancellations and restrictions into this area. In addition, customers may see delays in mail and packages destined to China as well as from China.

USPS is undertaking all reasonable measures to minimize the impact to our customers.

Effective Friday, May 22, 2020, the Postal Service™ will resume acceptance of mail destined to Colombia. Expect delays. 

All commercial flights to Cyprus are suspended for 14 days.  In addition, Cyprus Post asks member countries to suspend all category A dispatches to Cyprus until further notice or to send them via cargo flights.

Post Danmark (PostNord Denmark) has suspended signature on delivery for inbound items. Delivery will be conducted via methods that limit human contact, with immediate effect.

Service suspension lifted as of July 10, 2020. Please expect delays as deliveries resume. 

Correos de El Salvador has advised that it will need to reduce its workforce across the logistics chain. As a result, customers should expect delivery delays for all letter-post, parcel-post, and EMS items.

As of May 15, 2020, the Postal Service will now accept mail and parcels destined for Estonia. This applies to all service levels (IPA, DDU, and DDP). All parcels that have been held at our facility for these countries will be shipped at this time. Please expect delays as there will be a severe backlog. 

Commencing 30 March 2020, La Poste will implement a new organization based on three working days per employee available to work. This new organization aims to maintain the universal service to the greatest possible extent while safeguarding the health of La Poste’s employees.  Consequently, the industrial capacity of the postal network will be significantly reduced and La Poste will be unable to accept inbound letter-post flows in their entirety for the upcoming weeks, during which there will be four days of reception: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Efforts will be focused on urgent flows and the delivery of small packets able to help people during this confinement period.  Therefore, La Poste would be grateful if operators could relay this information to their customers and ask them to defer their non-urgent shipments to France.

For the same reason, La Poste will be unable to receive the following letter-post items:

• non-priority (mail categories B and C);
• M bags, returns, and IBRS;
• Transit mail;
• Rail and sea dispatches.

Moreover, La Poste requests that each operator reduce the volume dispatched to France. Operators will be contacted by La Poste teams to manage the operational aspects.

French Polynesia’s post has resumed all postal services following the full reversal of the lockdown initially implemented to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Domestic flights are gradually being reintroduced and domestic maritime routes are operational for destinations that cannot yet be reached by air. As international airfreight flights with France have resumed on a weekly basis, it can now guarantee inbound and outbound international mail to and from France.

The Government of Georgia has taken measures to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). As these measures include the self-quarantine of staff, significant delays are to be expected in the delivery of all inbound mail (letter-post, parcel-post, and EMS items).  In order to minimize human contact, indirect methods will be implemented temporarily for the delivery of letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items that would ordinarily require the addressee’s signature on delivery for security reasons. Consequently, it will not be mandatory for Georgian Post to collect and provide written proof of delivery.

Deutsche Post has implemented supplementary measures to reduce direct interaction with customers at their doorstep, in accordance with physical distancing requirements: inbound items requiring a payment by the recipient, such as cash-on-delivery (COD) or the payment of customs duties and taxes, will be immediately directed to a postal outlet for collection. Recipients will receive a notification as to which postal outlet is holding their item for collection.

Hellenic Post faces major difficulties in mail collection and delivery.

Service suspension lifted as of July 10, 2020. Please expect delays as deliveries resume. 

Service suspension lifted as of July 10, 2020. Please expect delays as deliveries resume. 

As of May 8th, service has been restored to Israel. 

Israel Postal Company advises it will continue to process incoming and outgoing mail, giving priority to premium services such as express mail service and PRIME, and will make every effort to ensure regular distribution of mail. However, due to government restrictions to minimize spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the post can no longer guarantee service delivery standards with designated operators and any interested third parties and is invoking force majeure with respect to any such standards. Additionally, a signature is no longer required for items requiring signature on delivery, and such items will be left at the door after being scanned and photographed to prove that delivery has been made. If possible, the name of the addressee will be recorded.

Poste Italiane has instituted further measures with regard to the acceptance and delivery of parcels, in accordance with physical distancing requirements.   If the addressee cannot be contacted, or in the case of parcels addressed to businesses, cultural institutions, commercial activities and other entities that are temporarily closed in accordance with the Prime Ministerial Decree of 25 March 2020, items can be returned to sender after the first delivery attempt.  The list of the most affected municipalities is updated regularly and is available on the following page of the Poste Italiane website: www.poste.it/emergenza-covid19.html

Furthermore, in order to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and protect employees’ health by enabling processing by a single person, only parcels below 25 kg in weight, 120 cm in length and 150 cm for the three dimensions combined can be accepted. Parcels exceeding these weight and size limits will not be accepted until further notice. Union member countries and their designated postal operators are kindly asked to comply with these restrictions. However, these restrictions do not apply to donations.

Service suspension lifted as of July 10, 2020. Please expect delays as deliveries resume. 

All letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items requiring a signature upon delivery are no longer being signed when handed over to the addressee, for health and safety reasons.  For such items, the postman/postwoman will leave a note in the signature field of the handheld device.

To eliminate customer interaction at the doorstep and in accordance with physical distancing requirements, Lithuania Post has suspended the collection of a signature on delivery for inbound letter mail items and, wherever possible, is sending parcels to parcel lockers for contact-free collection. Courier items are still delivered to the door, but the four last digits of the recipient’s ID are recorded in place of a signature.  Owing to these measures, quality of service for all types of inbound and outbound mail is affected. For this reason, service delivery standards cannot be guaranteed.

Post Luxembourg has advised that delivery will be conducted via methods that restrict direct contact. For all letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items requiring a signature on delivery, the addressee’s signature will be replaced by the mail carrier's signature, together with the delivery code, in the signature field.

Delays are to be expected in the processing, transportation, and delivery of both incoming and outgoing international shipments of letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items, owing to the suspension of services, cancellation of flights, shutdown of airports and implementation of preventative measures to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19.  For inbound mail deliveries, letter-post, parcel-post, and EMS items will be handled as follows: Items requiring a signature on delivery will no longer be signed for at the moment of handover to the recipient, for health, safety and security reasons. Instead, the postman will ask for the recipient’s name and will enter this information in the signature field of the handheld device or delivery manifest.   For the delivery of items to a mailroom, the addressee will receive a text message or telephone call. Deliveries to premises or areas needing to be closed down due to COVID-19 are suspended.

Suspended all commercial flights (other than cargo flights) from affected countries, which will affect postal services.

Owing to the cancellation of international flights from Mexico to South America and to other continents, including Africa, Asia, and Europe, it is facing significant disruption to its operations. This disruption will have a direct impact on the quality of service in relation to both inbound and outbound mail.  Consequently, Mexico is declaring a situation of force majeure in relation to all international consignments (letter-post, parcel post, and EMS items) as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on services worldwide. Until further notice, only services to Canada and the United States of America will be maintained.

As of May 15, 2020, the Postal Service will now accept mail and parcels destined for Moldova. This applies to all service levels (IPA, DDU, and DDP). All parcels that have been held at our facility for these countries will be shipped at this time. Please expect delays as there will be a severe backlog. 

As of May 15, 2020, the Postal Service will now accept mail and parcels destined for Montenegro. This applies to all service levels (IPA, DDU, and DDP). All parcels that have been held at our facility for these countries will be shipped at this time. Please expect delays as there will be a severe backlog. 

PostNL has advised that all letter-post, parcel-post, and EMS items requiring a signature on delivery will no longer be signed at the time of delivery. For these items, the mail carrier will ask the recipient for the last three digits of the recipient’s ID reference number, and this information will be entered by the carrier in the signature field on their handheld device. This temporary measure will be effective until further notice.

Effective Friday, May 22, 2020, the Postal Service™ will resume acceptance of mail destined to New Caledonia. Expect delays. 

New Zealand Post has announced changes for all letter-post, parcel-post, and EMS items requiring a signature on delivery. Effective immediately, the mail carrier will ask for the recipient’s name (to record proof of delivery), and leave the item on the doorstep. The person receiving the item will not sign for the delivery directly. If no one comes to the door and there is no Parcel Leave service in place, the carrier will leave a card with details of the delivery, and return the item to the Post Office. This temporary measure will remain in effect until further notice.

Effective Friday, May 22, 2020, the Postal Service™ will resume acceptance of mail destined to Nicaragua. Expect delays. 

Skopje Airport is closed to all international flights from 19 March 2020 until further notice. Exchanges of mail with the designated operators of neighboring countries are being organized where possible. This situation will have a major impact on operations, and quality of service for all types of inbound and outbound mail (letter post, parcel post, and EMS) is affected. The measures will also have repercussions on Post of North Macedonia’s ability to keep its sorting and delivery operations running.

Service suspension lifted as of July 10, 2020. Please expect delays as deliveries resume. 

Service suspension lifted as of July 10, 2020. Please expect delays as deliveries resume. 

CTT Correios de Portugal has announced changes for letter-post, parcel-post, and EMS items requiring a signature on delivery. Effective immediately, the mail carrier will ask the recipient for their given name and family name, and will enter this information, followed by “CV19”, in the signature field on the handheld device. This temporary measure will remain in effect until further notice.

Travel restrictions have led to massive cancellations of international flights. Owing to the suspension of air services to a number of international destinations, Poșta Română‎ is facing difficulties sending international postal items, and delays are to be expected for all types of inbound and outbound mail (letter post, parcels, and EMS). This will have a major impact on operations and, consequently, on quality of service.

Is currently operating a restricted postal service with reduced hours, reduced personnel and fewer sub-offices. This response plan will affect the processing of inbound and outbound mail as well as timely replies to queries.

Service suspension lifted as of July 10, 2020. Please expect delays as deliveries resume. 

Pošta Slovenije has advised that significant delays are to be expected for all inbound and outbound letter post, parcel post and EMS items until the end of the epidemic. Furthermore, should the situation worsen, it will be forced to temporarily suspend the acceptance of mail for destinations outside Slovenia to which transport is not available. 

Slovenia has suspended signature on delivery for inbound items insofar as possible. In order to avoid human contact, Pošta Slovenije will deliver items using alternative delivery methods where possible. This includes delivery to agreed locations without physical contact (e.g. P.O. boxes, mailboxes, parcel lockers) and delivery without signature (to this end, a new “contact-free delivery” status for internal items has been introduced within the domestic Track & Trace system).

Correos y Telégrafos has advised that many airlines have canceled their flights to Madrid. As a result, the distribution of international mail will be subject to major delays until the situation returns to normal.

The post is working on a plan to gradually resume normal operations over the coming weeks.

Swiss Post has had to change its delivery process for all items requiring a signature on delivery. With effect from 16 March 2020, letter-post, parcel-post, and EMS items requiring a signature on delivery will not be signed for by the recipient, for health and safety reasons. For such items, in place of the recipient’s signature, the delivery agent will enter a code in the signature field of the handheld device. As a result, Swiss Post is no longer able to guarantee inbound and outbound mail standards.

Service suspension lifted as of July 10, 2020. Please expect delays as deliveries resume. 

Effective Friday, May 22, 2020, the Postal Service™ will resume acceptance of mail destined to Trinidad and Tobago. Expect delays. 

A period of leave has been declared for certain parts of its workforce, especially those in high-risk categories, in both the public and private sectors. This will have a major impact on operations and, consequently, on quality of service for all types of inbound mail (letter-post, parcel-post, and EMS items). For this reason, service delays are to be expected for inbound and outbound postal items.

In order to minimize human contact, indirect methods will be implemented temporarily for the delivery of letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items that would ordinarily require the addressee’s signature on delivery for security reasons. Consequently, it will not be mandatory for Ukrposhta to collect and provide written proof of delivery. Ukrposhta kindly requests the assistance of other Union member countries and their designated operators in explaining to senders the aforementioned delivery options, which, in some cases, may not allow for the provision of written proof of delivery under these special circumstances.

Service suspension lifted as of July 10, 2020. Please expect delays as deliveries resume. 

Despite a reduction in staff resulting from the situation, Poste Vaticane has put in place a skeleton service enabling continuity to be maintained in the provision of essential services.  The current situation will have repercussions in terms of quality of service for all types of inward and outward mail. Under these circumstances, Poste Vaticane will no longer be able to guarantee delivery service standards (delivery times and other quality performance parameters).   

The government is taking measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in the following locations from 7 March 2020:

Ha Noi (100000–159999), Hai Phong (180000–189999), Quang Ninh (200000–209999), Soc Trang (950000–959999), Hung Yen (160000–169999), Quang Binh (510000–519999), Quang Nam (560000–569999), Da Nang (550000–559999), Hau Giang (910000–919999), Binh Dinh (590000–599999), Bac Giang (230000–239999), Hue (530000–539999), Thai Nguyen (250000–259999), Ninh Thuan (660000–669999), Kien Giang (920000–929999), Quang Tri (520000–529999), Ha Tinh (480000–489999), Nghe An (460000–479999), Ninh Binh (430000–439999), Ho Chi Minh (700000–769999), and Thanh Hoa (440000–459999).

Therefore, the delivery of letter-post, parcel-post, and EMS items to the above locations may be delayed and may not follow the service standards declared in the UPU compendia.