SingPost to continue nationwide deliveries; select post offices to remain open from April 7

SINGPOST on Monday said mail delivery will proceed as per normal across Singapore, though it will only operate 24 out of its 56 post offices from April 7 to May 4. This is in line with the government's recommendation to minimise the number of employees working onsite, as the Republic implements stricter social distancing measures to curb the spread of Covid-19.

"All services, including postal services, bill payments, banking and government services, will continue to be offered at these post offices during this period of time," the mainboard-listed postal service provider said.

Outlets that remain open include Ang Mo Kio Central, Bedok Central, Chinatown, Jurong East, Tampines Central and Sengkang Central.

The remaining 32 outlets will be closed during the Republic's "circuit-breaker" period and post office staff will be redeployed to help with deliveries amid a manpower shortage, SingPost noted.

All self-service options, including POPStations and SAM machines, will continue to operate, and the company is encouraging customers to use these options as far as possible.

Between April 7 and May 4, SingPost will also make some service adjustments to protect the health and safety of customers and employees, it said.

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Small items that can fit into the letterbox, including those with tracking capabilities such as Registered Service items, will now be sent directly to the letterbox. If the item is too large to be delivered to the letterbox, SingPost will deliver it to the customer's door with minimum contact with the recipient.

Since March, SingPost has also introduced contactless delivery options for items that require signature receipts, including obtaining pre-authorisation to leave the items at the door, or for staff to sign on behalf of the recipient.

Businesses that are open during this period of time will continue to receive their mail normally.

As for businesses that are closed, all mail, including items with tracking capabilities will be sent to their letterbox. "As businesses tend to have larger volumes of mail, we encourage all businesses to ensure that their letterbox is cleared regularly so that mail can be delivered," the company said.

Separately, SingPost also noted that while nationwide deliveries will carry on, there may be some delays. This comes after two more employees at its mail processing facility tested positive for the novel coronavirus last week, bringing the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases at SingPost to eight.

Nonetheless, all affected staff are not postmen and have no contact with members of the public through their line of work, SingPost noted in a press statement on April 2.

It said the cluster began when a contractor reported for work on March 19 while on medical leave. He subsequently tested positive for Covid-19.

Last Thursday, SingPost also noted that there could be a possible delay of up to three working days for mail deliveries, as "a good number" of its employees are either under quarantine orders issued by the Ministry of Health, or placed on leave of absence by the company as a precautionary measure.

To cope with the reduced staffing, SingPost has started reaching out to other companies with excess manpower.

As at 1pm on Monday, SingPost shares were trading at 63 Singapore cents, up 0.5 cent or 0.8 per cent.