What Royal Mail say about Christmas cards and whether it’s safe to post them amid coronavirus fears

Royal Mail has rejected Covid safety concerns over Christmas cards and has embarked on its largest ever festive recruitment campaign.

An extra 33,000 temporary workers are being taken on to deliver presents and cards as the service gears up for a period made busier by coronavirus and online commerce.

For the first time postal workers will be collecting parcels on the doorstep –  one of the biggest changes to the daily round since the postbox was launched in 1852.

The new doorstep service, costing an extra 72p per item on top of normal postage costs, forms the Royal Mail’s response to the rapid growth in online shopping.

Posties are also likely to face extra workloads this winter as fewer people deliver Christmas cards to their friends and colleagues by hand.

Among them is Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales.

“I think I will be delivering fewer cards by hand this year because the more we get about, and the more we meet people, the greater the risks are,” he said.

“I’ll be relying on the hugely professional services of those who work in the Royal Mail.

“As ever we’ll be thanking them for the enormous efforts they make to ensure our Christmas post gets to those people who, this year more than ever, we want to be in touch with.”

Covid-19 is not thought to persist for long on packages and, according to the Royal Mail – based on Public Health Authority guidance – there are no additional precautions needed for handling post.

Public Health England has also advised that there is no perceived increase in risk.

However the Post Office said it is always good practice for recipients to wash their hands thoroughly after contact with anything outside their homes.

When delivering parcels, the Royal Mail said it has “pioneered” contact-free delivery .

Temporarily, postal workers are not handing over hand-held devices to customers to capture signatures.

Mr Drakeford said he was not aware of any safety reasons why people should not be sending Christmas cards this year.

“People have continued to mark other occasions, such as birthdays, by sending cards for the whole of this year,” he said.

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In order to safeguard staff in sorting offices, Royal Mail has revised working practices to ensure good hand hygiene and social distancing.

Depots have also been given one-way floor markings.

On its website Royal Mail warns of possible disruptions to some services – and it is encouraging customers to send parcels and Christmas cards early.

But a spokeswoman said the company was up for the season’s challenges.

“This year we recognise that many people won’t be able to visit friends and family as they usually would, so we are preparing to play an even more important role in delivering our customers’ presents and cards for Christmas,” she said.

“We are really looking forward to delivering some festive cheer to the nation in what has been a testing time for many.”

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