March 17, 2021

UPDATE 146: International Mail Service Updates Related to COVID-19

On March 17, 2021, the Postal Service received notifications from various postal operators regarding changes in international mail services due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The following countries have provided updates to certain mail services:

New Zealand UPDATE: New Zealand Post has advised that, as of March 12, 2021, the entire country has returned to Alert Level 1 of the national pandemic plan.

Thailand UPDATE: Thailand Post has advised that, to minimize the spread of COVID-19, the Government of Thailand has declared a state of emergency for the whole country, but five provinces in particular: Samut Sakhon, Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan. The public health measures and restrictions in place are impacting international inbound and outbound postal operations, and force majeure is invoked with respect to quality of service until circumstances return to normal. Furthermore, due to the reduced number of outbound flights, transit services (both open and closed) for all categories of mail (letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items) remain suspended.

Unless otherwise noted, service updates to a particular country do not affect delivery of military and diplomatic mail.

These service updates affect Priority Mail Express International^® (PMEI), Priority Mail International^® (PMI), First-Class Mail International^® (FCMI), First-Class Package International Service^® (FCPIS^®), International Priority Airmail^® (IPA^®), International Surface Air Lift^® (ISAL^®), and M-Bag^® items.

The DMM Advisory will continue to provide updates as they are received. For a full list of international service disruptions, please visit https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/welcome.htm