Royal Mail struck by Covid-19 in its Harwich delivery office

RESIDENTS across Harwich and nearby villages have faced post delays after Royal Mail’s delivery office in the town was hit by Covid-19.

Royal Mail has confirmed ten members of staff in its Harwich delivery office have the virus and some other members of staff are self-isolating.

But the community has rallied around their posties, showing support for those impacted by the virus.

Jo Gent took to Facebook to say: “No post for over a week but I’d much rather see our lovely postman in Ramsey again. Get well soon to all post office staff affected, you do a great job.”

Gill Poston added: “What matters is that all concerned get through this. Post can wait, lives can’t.”

While Alan Gardner said: “Not had any post in Harbour Crescent for a while. It is a slight inconvenience when compared to post workers’ health and safety.

“It takes something like this to make you realise how much people, including myself, take our postal service for granted.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said they are expecting members of staff self-isolating to return this week.

They said: “Across the UK, our people are working hard to deliver as comprehensive a service as possible to all our customers in challenging circumstances.

“Despite our best endeavours, it is possible some areas of the country may experience a reduction in service levels due to higher volumes of mail during the lockdown, the ongoing impact of COVID-related staff absences and necessary social distancing measures at local mail centres and delivery offices.

“Every single letter and parcel is important to us.

“Like most organisations, we have a number of employees who are self-isolating in line with government guidance.

“This has a direct impact on our staffing levels, especially in areas where there are higher levels of local outbreaks.

“We are working hard to deliver as normal a service as we can, drawing in extra resource and offering additional overtime where possible.”