COVID Hits Post Office

1033
RICHARD LINDSAY — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE Charlie Fitzhugh delivering mail on Prospect St. in Lee, his last day on job after 33yrs with USPS.

As the omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to spread in the St. Louis region, the Post Office has been hard hit. More than 250 employees at the main office in downtown St. Louis, through which most of the region’s mail passes, are out sick at this moment.

Closer to home, 11 carriers are out sick at the Ferguson branch. With only 17 routes total, that means that even with overtime, many routes will not be delivered on a daily basis. Sources tell us that they are attempting to deliver all packages as they arrive, but letter routes are being delayed due to staffing shortages.

Customers can see what mail is coming by using the Informed Delivery system. Subscribers to this free service will get a daily email with images of letters, and information on packages, that are scheduled to be delivered soon. While the daily email typically includes the letters which will be delivered that day, it may not always be the case.

In the event that you have an urgent item arriving, you can call the post office for information. If your route is not being delivered on the day you call, it may be possible to retrieve the item by coming to the post office. However, due to the large volume of customer issues, please do not call for routine inquiries. The Ferguson branch can be reached at (314) 521-2915 or (314) 521-6099. To sign up for Informed Delivery emails, go to informeddelivery.usps.com.