The Postal Service has cooling neck gaiters for employees to wear during warm weather.
Gaiters are circular pieces of fabric that sit around a person’s neck and can be pulled up to cover the mouth and nose. Cooling gaiters can be dampened with cold water and wrung out; as the water evaporates, it absorbs heat from the skin of the person wearing it, providing relief.
By the end of April, the Postal Service will send a limited supply of blue cooling neck gaiters with the USPS logo to district supplies coordinators for distribution to employees.
The Postal Service also has blue cooling gaiters without the USPS logo that can be ordered through the Topeka, KS, Material Distribution Center (MDC) eBuyPlus catalog. The item number is 8415180006909 and the maximum order quantity is 150 per site.
Facilities that wish to order higher quantities should contact their local district supplies coordinator. The coordinators will place orders to maintain ample inventory for large and emergency requests, and they’ll redistribute quantities between sites to ensure availability.
Employees who choose to wear gaiters as a face covering during the coronavirus pandemic should follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which recommends folding them to create two layers to cover the mouth and nose.
During the pandemic, the Postal Service requires all employees to wear face coverings:
• In public-facing settings when there is a state or local directive in place; or
• When an employee who does not deal directly with the public cannot achieve or maintain social distancing in the workplace.
The COVID-19 Employee Resources Blue page has additional information under the “Supplies, Cleaning and Maintenance” tab.
