Mail disruption due to Coronavirus


Albania
The Government of Albania has extended the state of emergency and associated lockdown measures (initiated on 24 March 2020) until 26 June 2020.


As a result, Albanian Post is declaring a situation of force majeure with regard to letter-post and parcel-post items noting that suspension of Pay-for-Performance penalties has been unanimously agreed by the EMS Cooperative. Until further notice, Albanian Post is unable to guarantee postal service quality for international inbound and outbound services, or compliance with the service delivery standards (including delivery time and other quality parameters) for letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items applicable under UPU provisions and related bilateral and multilateral agreements with designated operators.


Furthermore, owing to a lack of transport capacity, Albanian Post is currently unable to send mail (letter post, parcel post and EMS items) to many countries, mainly outside the European Union (the list of countries concerned changes on a weekly basis). Therefore, with effect from 1 April 2020, Albanian Post has ceased to accept EMS items within its network, and letter-post and parcel-post items will be accepted only for those destinations where transport capacity is available.


Italy
Poste Italiane informs that on 26 April 2020, the Italian Government made the decision to gradually lift confinement measures. However, the period of application of other measures aimed at minimizing the spread of COVID-19 has been extended until further notice.


Poste Italiane is constantly monitoring the situation and timely updates are provided in the dedicated section of its website, available at www.poste.it/emergenza-covid19.html.


Kuwait
The Government of Kuwait has decided to extend the state of emergency until 1 June 2020 and to implement additional reinforcement measures intended to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).


As a result, Kuwait Post is currently unable to meet its contractual obligations, particularly with regard to the acceptance and delivery of all types of mail (letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items) and the tracking of shipments (capture and transmission times).


Nepal
Nepal Post informs that the Government of Nepal has further extended the lockdown until 7 May 2020. This, together with the suspension of all incoming international flights, which is extended until 15 May 2020, is affecting all postal operations.


New Caledonia
The designated operator of New Caledonia, OPT-NC, informs of the following measures:



  • Import/export: Restrictions remain in place in New Caledonia with regard to air and sea transport, which continues to have an impact on inbound and outbound postal shipments.

  • For all letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items requiring a signature on delivery:

    •      At post offices:  Identity verification, where required, and signature by the recipient will resume as normal.

    •      At the addressee’s home:  Identity verification, where required, will resume as normal. Signature by addressees will also resume as normal, if addressees have their own pen, or will be replaced by the signature of the postman/woman with the agreement of the addressee (if the addressee does not agree, the item will be returned to a post office for collection).




Peru
The designated operator of Peru, Servicios Postales del Peru S.A. (SERPOST), informs that the Peruvian Government has decided to further extend the current state of emergency until 10 May 2020.
Postal services in Peru therefore remain suspended until that date.


Poland
New measures aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 have been implemented in Poland and will continue to affect its services.


These new measures came into force on 21 April 2020, and will remain in force until further notice. New guidelines for the delivery of registered letter items, postal parcels and courier items (EMS) have been introduced. From 21 April 2020, registered letter-post items without advice of delivery can be delivered to the addressee’s mailbox (the delivery is recorded in the IT system), while parcels and insured parcels, including advice of delivery and courier items (EMS), are delivered with signature. If the recipient refuses to sign, the last four digits from the ID document, as well as the type of ID and the exact name of the receiver, are placed in the delivery card by the courier/postman. Registered letter-post items with advice of delivery are delivered to the addressee or authorized person after verification of their ID document (the last four digits from the ID and the type of ID are placed in the delivery card as well the exact name of the receiver instead of signature). Poczta Polska will continue to maintain the force majeure clause regarding quality of service.


International air traffic continues to be suspended, but Poland is accepting mail for the following destinations: Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria (Rep.), Croatia, Czech Rep., Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong (China), Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Korea (Rep.), Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, United Kingdom, and United States of America.


Romania
The designated operator of Romania, CN Poșta Română SA, informs that the state of emergency has been extended until 14 May 2020.


Therefore, the situation of force majeure previously declared by CN Poșta Română is being extended until the above-mentioned date.


Slovakia
The designated operator of Slovakia, Slovenská pošta, informs that the Slovak Government has announced a four-phase plan to relax social distancing restrictions.


With effect from 23 April 2020, collection of signature on delivery for inbound items where required has resumed. Items are delivered to an outdoor location if possible, and recipients are required to observe certain rules (face covering, use of own pen, social distancing). Such deliveries are not made to customers who are quarantined. Delivery staff will not deliver items to individual apartments; they will ring the bell at the main entrance of the apartment building.


For items received from 1 May 2020 onward, standard collection arrangements will resume, but with a collection period of 18 calendar days. If it is not possible to deliver the item owing to quarantine measures, it will be returned to the sender with reason for return indicated as “quarantine”.


Because of the lack of transport capacity, Slovenská pošta is currently unable to send mail (letter post, parcel post and EMS items) to a large number of countries, mainly outside the European Union. It is updating its list of outbound destinations on a weekly basis, and details can be found at www.posta.sk/stranky/obmedzenia-a-upravy-v-medzinarodnej-poste.


With effect from 29 April 2020, Slovenská pošta is able to send mail (letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items) only to countries within the European Union (with the exception of Cyprus, Greece, and Malta), and to Argentina, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, China (People’s Rep.), Egypt, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Israel, Japan, Korea (Rep.) Mexico, Montenegro, Norway, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.


Spain
Correos would like to inform the rest of the members that although owing to the lack of transport capacity due to the suspension of flights from and to Spain, the situation of the international transport has been improved and some destinations whose acceptance was closed has been again reopen. Therefore, Correos is currently able to send mail (letter-post, parcel-post), parcels and EMS to the following destinations: ARGENTINA, LATVIA, ARMENIA, LESOTHO, AUSTRIA LITHUANIA, BELARUS, LUXEMBOURG, BELGIUM, MACAO, BRASIL, MEXICO, BULGARIA, MORROCO, CANADA, NAMIBIA, CHINA, NETHERLANDS, COLOMBIA, NIGER, CONGO, NIGERIA, COSTA RICA, NORTH MACEDONIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, NORWAY, DENMARK, PANAMA, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, POLAND, ESTONIA, PORTUGAL, ETHIOPIA, ROMANIA, FINLAND, RUSSIA, FRANCE, SENEGAL, GABON, SERBIA, GEORGIA, SLOVAKIA, GERMANY, SLOVENIA, GHANA, SOUTH AFRICA, GREECE, SOUTH KOREA, HONG KONG, SWEDEN, HUNGARY, SWITZERLAND, ICELAND, TANZANIA, INDIA, TOGO, IRELAND, TURKEY, ISRAEL, UKRAINE, ITALY, UNITED KINGDOM, KAZAKHSTAN, UNITED STATES, KENYA, ZIMBABWE.


It is expected that in the following weeks new routes can be open for new destinations, due to the availability of flight charters by the main airline companies operating in Spain. Nevertheless, a normality for flights might be expected somehow at the end of the month of June, so Correos will no longer accept letter-post and parcel-post items for those destinations to which transport capacities are unavailable.
Under this circumstances, Correos keeps the cease to accept letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items destined to all concerned member countries, until sufficient transport capacity becomes available.
Moreover, we kindly reminder that the Spanish Government has extended the Status of Alert declared last Saturday, March 14th, 2020 until May 10, 2020. However the Status of Alert may be extended for an uncertain period of time.
This will have a major impact on operations and, consequently, Correos will be unable to ensure, until new advice, the quality of service for all types of inbound and outbound mail (letter post, parcels and EMS) and the delivery standards for items under signature under the UPU Regulation, as well as the bilateral or multilateral agrees signed with other designated postal operators.


Uganda
Uganda Post’s offices of exchange are continuing to accept and process all mail tendered for delivery within the domestic network. However, Uganda Post can no longer guarantee the service delivery standards.


Furthermore, owing to the suspension of many flights and the resulting reduction in transport capacity, Uganda Post is currently limited in its ability to send outbound mail (letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items) to some Union member countries.