March 30, 2021

UPDATE 150: International Mail Service Updates Related to COVID-19

On March 30, 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:

Belgium UPDATE: Bpost has advised that, given the impact of the third wave of the pandemic, the Belgian government announced a new lockdown from March 26 until at least April 25, 2021. Bpost is making every effort to ensure the continuity of all services and the delivery of letter post, parcels, daily newspapers and registered letters. However, the lockdown measures in place prevent full compliance with delivery times and collection of the addressee’s signature, which may result in processing and delivery delays for all types of items. Bpost will continue to provide its services according to safety guidelines, but all letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items requiring signature on delivery will, until further notice, be delivered against the postal worker’s signature in place of the customer’s (in the customer’s presence).

Czech Republic UPDATE: Česká Pošta s.p. has advised that the Czech Government has extended the state of emergency for an additional 14 days effective March 28, 2021. The processing and delivery of all types of inbound and outbound mail (letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items) will continue to be affected, and Česká pošta is unable to guarantee compliance with the agreed standards. As a result, force majeure remains in place and previously announced restrictions continue to apply.

Poland UPDATE: Poczta Polska has advised that, owing to the severity of the current COVID-19 situation in Poland, the Polish Government has implemented a national lockdown effective from March 20 to April 9, 2021. Poczta Polska will continue to provide postal services in line with public health measures and other restrictions but will be operating with a reduced workforce. The processing and delivery of all types of inbound and outbound mail (letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items) will continue to be affected, and Poczta Polska is unable to guarantee compliance with the agreed standards.

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