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At a time of national emergency, workers in the NHS, care, education and retail sectors are rightly getting the recognition they deserve.
But postal workers are among the unsung heroes who continue to battle lockdown Britain and deliver mail to residents across Nottinghamshire.
From touching doors, gates and mail to negotiating a city and county in lockdown, the Royal Mail workers are looking coronavirus head-on and continuing to ensure residents’ mail gets to our doors on time.
And in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, they are experiencing empty streets like they have never seen before – all while receiving “a lot of good will” from the general public.
Mark Harper, originally of Beeston, has worked in the postal sector for 33 years and says it is “fantastic” to see so much support for the posties at a time of national crisis.
“We always get quite a lot of support from the general public, but there has been a lot of goodwill from people during the pandemic”, the 52-year-old told Nottinghamshire Live.
“I’ve seen some postmen getting drinks, chocolate and hand sanitiser left out for them across the area which is fantastic to see.
“With the lockdown it’s definitely been a lot quieter, our collection workers are out getting the mail and it’s been a lot easier for them to get back.
“People have also been coming out for chats with the posties, which will happen when most [people] are locked indoors.
“However, self distancing is so important and I’d say that if you do want to give us a nice message while we’re out, do it from two metres away.
“And if you do have any way to keep your doors clean, please do it.”
Mr Harper, who is also the acting regional secretary for Communication Workers Union, says postal workers are doing an “excellent job in exceptional circumstances”.
Yet they are doing all they can to deliver our mail – keeping on top of personal hygiene, while encouraging the public to do the same.
“We have lost quite a lot of staff due to the pandemic and we’re losing more and more each day”, he added.
“It’s always a risk for the posties being out at a time like this, they are out on the frontline at such a vital time.
“But we’re making sure to wash hands while we are out, and we have been asking the public to make sure everything’s as clean as possible to prevent our workers getting infected.”
Royal Mail workers across the country are set to play yet another key role in the pandemic, by helping to deliver coronavirus tests to frontline NHS staff in the coming weeks.
The new initiative, which will enable key workers to do coronavirus tests at home, is something postal workers are “more than happy to do”, Mr Harper added.
Follow our coronavirus live blog for all the updates.
