Upon the latest advice of the Centre for Health Protection, the main mode of transmission of COVID-19 is through respiratory droplets. The risk of contracting COVID-19 from mail is considered to be low. According to the World Health Organization, the delivery was safe provided the provider follows good personal hygiene practice. To further minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19 while handling mail, recipients are advised to wear masks while receiving mail, unpack at well ventilated place as far as feasible and wash hands immediately after handling mail.
During the epidemic, we have been strictly implementing various precautionary measures, including stepping up the cleaning of the working environment, providing protective gear such as face shields, protective goggles, masks, alcohol-based handrub, gloves and alcohol swabs for all staff members. We keep reminding staff to bring and use the protective gear when performing outdoor duties, mandatory body temperature screening before entering delivery office as well as using alcohol-based handrub, and maintain personal hygiene.
To strike a balance between the public demand for postal service and the need to reduce the epidemic from further spreading in the community as far as possible, mail delivery will be arranged as follows:
Postmen will not require the recipient at the delivery address to sign at postman’s personal digital assistant (PDA) for acknowledgement of receipt. The delivery result will be recorded by the postman concerned.
To tie in with the development of the epidemic and the Government's home isolation/quarantine arrangements, for buildings with residents tested positive in the past 7 days, we would attempt to contact the addressees/occupants by telephone*/building intercom before arranging delivery of items requiring signature for receipt from 23 September 2022. If there are no confirmed cases in the units, we will arrange door delivery. If there are confirmed cases in the units or if we are unable to ascertain the situation, mail items requiring signature for receipt, which can be fully inserted into the letter box, will be delivered into the letter boxes in the lobbies with records marked (other service features such as mail tracking will be maintained). For mail items which cannot be inserted into the letter box, mail collection notification cards will be issued for mail collection at the nearby post offices. To allow senders and addressees to grasp the actual delivery status of items requiring signature for receipt, our mail tracking webpage will clearly indicate if a mail item has been delivered to the letter box.
To safeguard the health of the public and our delivery staff, please wear a mask while receiving mail at door.
*Only applicable to Speedpost items with addressee’s phone number provided
We have implemented various measures to reduce social contacts and prevent infection at all post offices by adopting a multi-pronged approach to safeguard the health of our staff and the public. Such measures include:
* As required by the Government, with effect from 1 November 2021, except for exempted persons, all persons are required to use the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile application (the app) to scan the venue QR code before entering post offices so as to record their visits.
Under the new arrangement, persons who are aged below 12 or aged 65 or above, those with disabilities that render use of the app difficult, or those with practical difficulties in using the app depending on the actual circumstances but have genuine and imminent need to use postal services (e.g. forgot to bring/without a smartphone, presentation of notification of mail collection, mail items, bills, etc.) will be exempted from the requirement of using the app when they enter post offices. However, exempted persons are required to complete a record form to register their names, the first four digits or letters of their identification documents, their contact numbers and the date and time of their visits. They are also required to present relevant identification documents for verification at the request of the staff on-site during registration. Postal services will only be provided to those who have completed the registration.
Apart from daily cleaning, we have also applied a durable anti-microbial coating in all post offices (including post office box lobbies and public facilities) to strengthen our anti-epidemic efforts, effective period of up to 180 days. Signs have been put up at the entrances of individual post offices to keep our staff and the public informed of the effective period of the coating and put their mind at ease. To learn more about the points to note when entering post offices, please click here.