The Postal Service is asking employees to adhere to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for social distancing and face coverings as coronavirus infections surge across the United States.
The latest data show that the number of people with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, tops 1 million per week.
USPS employees must continue to follow preventative measures, including maintaining social distancing of 6 feet or more whenever possible while on delivery routes, while at retail counters and while within postal workplaces, including plants, docks and lunch and break rooms.
The organization’s policy also requires employees to wear face coverings in the non-public portions of postal workplaces when social distancing cannot be maintained, and when in public or when in the public-facing parts of postal workplaces where required by local or state orders or directives.
Social distancing and face coverings are important measures because the coronavirus primarily spreads when an infected person is in close contact — within about 6 feet — to others for a prolonged time of at least 15 minutes within a 24-hour period.
Individuals can spread the coronavirus before they know they are ill and even if they do not have any symptoms, which usually appear within 2-14 days after exposure to the virus, according to CDC.
Taking these steps to stay healthy and well will help the Postal Service continue to deliver for the American people and remain a stable, calming presence across the nation.
