Staff crisis leaves people with no mail for days as Royal Mail blames covid

Mail deliveries in Paisley are being delayed by as long as a week, as staff shortages hit the postal service, customers have said.
The Royal Mail said daily deliveries are being suspended if there is not enough staff and rounds can be missed for more than two days.
It said covid absences are to blame but sources have warned  of staff shortages, not just sickness, leading to a huge backlog of mail building up in sorting offices.

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Royal Mail said sometimes deliveries will need to be educed “every other day” but admitted even that may not always be possible.
Deliveries in the Renfrewshire town and further afield have been hit for several weeks.
Some mail that should arrive a day later is taking four days and one customer has said a letter arrived eight days after it was posted. 
A Royal Mail spokesperson, said: “The health and safety of our colleagues and our customers is our number one priority. 
“There are no reported issues with mail deliveries at the Johnstone Delivery Office, however Paisley is currently experiencing higher than usual COVID related absences. 
“We aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for, six days a week. If resourcing issues, associated self-isolation and safety measures prevent this, we’ll deliver at least every other day. 
“It’s only in extreme cases – where offices are severely affected by absence levels – that this may not be possible”.