One sector of essential services during COVID is often overlooked and under-appreciated.
Sure, we have parades for those who work in health care, and with seniors, and grocery store employees. All that’s well deserved.
But it’s not often we stop and think about postal workers.
With just a week to go before the holidays, a postal worker is even more essential than ever.
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Because of travel restrictions more people are shopping online, and more people are shipping gifts they would normally deliver in person.
It’s putting a huge strain on resources, all while the necessary protocols for safe warehouse and delivery practices slow things down.
Canada Post has added more than 4,000 seasonal workers, and increased its fleet by 1,000 vehicles.
Last weekend alone employees delivered 1.1 million parcels across the country, and the demand is expected to increase with the countdown to Dec. 25.
In a press release Canada Post put it simply: “Expect delays.”
Christmas packages might not arrive before the big day and that’s not the fault of the clerk behind the counter.
Customers also may have to spend time standing in a line, waiting to retrieve parcels.
They may have to wait outside in the cold, as there are limits to how many people are allowed in buildings due to COVID. That is not a clerk’s fault, either.
Even in the best of times (and these obviously are not the best of times) postal workers suffer abuse. For some reason they seem to be an easy target for rude or just frustrated clients. Maybe because they work for the government.
Princeton is fortunate to have a friendly and dedicated staff running its post office.
As Dr. Bonnie Henry says, “Be kind.”
Santa can’t deliver everything, and we need and should be thankful for these workers.
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