4 APRIL 2, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Ridgewood post offi ce struggles to
deliver mail during COVID-19 crisis
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
AACEVEDO@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Many residents of Ridgewood,
Maspeth, Glendale and Middle
Village were left without
mail delivery for almost a week aft er
one staff member at the Ridgewood
USPS post offi ce tested positive for
COVID-19.
The employee, who asked to
remain anonymous, informed the
community on Wednesday, March
25, that only one of their colleagues
tested positive for the coronavirus
as rumors began to spread that more
had contracted the illness.
But as a result of one positive case,
many other staff members felt uncomfortable
returning to work, causing
mail delivery in various routes
to slow down or stop all together.
Councilman Robert Holden’s office
confirmed to QNS that his office
reached out to USPS to ask what was
being done to “cover shifts of sick
workers and keep the post offices
functioning as normal.” They have
not received a response as of Monday,
March 30.
A USPS spokesperson confirmed
there was one positive case of
COVID-19 in the Ridgewood post office,
as of Monday, March 30. When
asked about the call-out rate and
staff shortage, the spokesperson
said USPS is “flexing our available
resources to match the workload.”
The spokesperson added that USPS
is following recommended guidance
and strategies from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) to ensure the health of their
employees, including frequently
cleaning surfaces in locations where
there’s the most human traffic.
They also implemented social
distancing measures such as placing
floor tape that’s six feet apart in
the queue line and three feet apart
at the retail counter positions, and,
where operationally feasible, utilizing
every other window station.
But, according to a Glendale-based
USPS mail carrier who’s worked in
a Brooklyn post office for 22 years,
what’s going on in Ridgewood is also
taking place at their facility.
“There are 125 of us in that building;
we can’t be six feet apart,” the
postal worker said. “There is no
social distancing going on in postal
service. Our postmaster claims
they’re following CDC rules, but no —
there’s very little hand sanitizer, we
have masks but I don’t think it works.
They’re keeping it all very quiet.”
On Monday, March 23, they were
informed that one of their colleagues
tested positive for COVID-19 and that
their building would be cleaned.
But, according to the postal worker,
several employees walked out the
next day because they felt their
building wasn’t cleaned as their
management claimed.
Then, on Wednesday, March 25,
about 25 people showed up to work
and about 39 others called out sick,
according to the postal worker.
The postal worker told QNS that
they know their job is essential —
even during 9/11, they remember
handing out water bottles while they
watched the towers collapse — but
they want to make sure that their
work reflects that.
“I delivered garbage bags the other
day from Bed, Bath and Beyond. It
wasn’t wrapped so I could see what
it was,” the postal worker said. “I can
see being essential if I’m delivering
essential things like medication, but
I felt insulted.”
The postal worker said that barely
any mail is being generated, as businesses
have had to close. They’re
mainly transporting packages and
parcels, many of which are from
Amazon — but the postal worker said
that even those are slowing down.
Postal workers want to work, the
lifelong Ridgewood resident said,
but they want to make sure they’re
safe and keeping their families safe
during the pandemic.
The postal worker is over 50 years
old with two kids, and has no preexisting
medical conditions, but is
worried for other colleagues who
are immunocompromised.
“We don’t want to shut down, just
come in and actually clean,” the
postal worker said. “We understand
what our job is. I go to work
in snow storms … But I’m not a first
responder — how could you expect
me to face the same thing?”
The postal worker added that
they’re afraid they might be carrying
and spreading COVID-19, without
even knowing, regardless of the
safety precautions already in place.
“I’m sorry, but this disease is everywhere,”
the postal worker said.
“It’s not even about clean or dirty, it’s
about who’s passing it on. We sort
everything. We touch everything.
Photo via Google Maps
Every piece of mail goes through
at least five people before it goes to
your house.”
The World Health Organization
maintains that the risk of catching
COVID-19 from a package that has
been “moved, traveled, and exposed
to diff erent conditions and temperature
is low.” According to the CDC,
while there’s still a lot that’s unknown
about the virus, “there is no evidence
to support transmission of COVID-19
associated with imported goods.”
Across the country, postal workers
are facing the same fears.
The New York Times reported
that the United States Postal Service’s
current number of positive
COVD-19 cases are still relatively
small compared to their workforce
of 63,000 — but those numbers are
expected to rise in the coming days
and weeks.
Paul Hogrogian, the president of
the National Postal Mail Handlers
Union, said there were 65 postal
workers confirmed to have been
infected on Wednesday, March 25.
“That number will certainly continue
to rise,” Hogrogian stated.
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