Postman won't come near!

[speakout]

New rules- I opened the door as I saw he had parcels, he said he was not able to hand them to me- just to leave them on doorstep.
"signed for" and other services requiring a signature have been halted! Items will be delivered, but postal staff to keep distance.

This is on their website. Like other organisations have had to take precautions, so have Royal Mail.

All sounds very sensible.

yes this is to be expected. dominoe`s pizza is also not handing pizzas, putting them on the doorstep. same as tesco delivery. they ask if delery is ok and sign themselves. also the chap was wearing gloves last night. remember they cover large areas, seeing many people. they have to be careful. I expect anything like this will be the same.
its sensible.

I agree it's a good thing. If we all play a small part we can together have a big impact.

tesco also asks for customers in self isolation to declare it (on delivery instructions? I think). so they can be aware and will put your shopping in bags and put it on the doorstep/ place instead.

which is also sensible

tesco delivery driver last night said he`s not encountered any self isolators yet. or as he said no one admitting it!!

Well you’re still going to need to wipe the parcel over and wash your hands when you bring it inside unless you’re not bringing it indoors for days so why not just take it from the postie directly and do the same?
I don’t understand how the postie’s handling everything beforehand is okay but they mustn’t put it directly into your hands when you are at home and can take any precautions you like once you take it from them? Surely picking it up off the doorstep is the same?

My poor delivery driver said he had one customer who insisted he back off 10 m after putting the crates down!

I usually get the crates carried in but will be doing it myself just now. I'll probably be one of the last to catch it (alone & mostly housebound), but it's just good manners not to make the poor delivery folk traipse into multiple houses unless it's unavoidable.

(And I know that for some folk it is unavoidable.)

Tesco delivery man just asked if we were all okay, then happily carried the crates into our kitchen and assisted with the unloading. The only change was that he had to ask if the delivery was okay, and he then 'signed' on the gadget instead of us doing it.

He also joked that I shouldn't be stockpiling Smirnoff Ice ... he's obviously not facing the prospect of children being sent home from school

@00Sassy I think it’s more about protecting the postman than protecting the customers. Which seems reasonable to me.

For the postie to physically pass something to you, he will be closer than 2m so if you cough or sneeze he will be in the line of fire so to speak.

@00Sassy

Public Health England (PHE) has advised that people receiving parcels are not at risk of contracting the coronavirus. From experience with other coronaviruses, we know that these types of viruses don’t survive long on objects, such as letters or parcels. This complements the highly publicised guidance from PHE for people to wash their hands more often than usual using soap and hot water.

This is on the royal mail website.

00Sassy, it's to protect the postie!

And also to prevent the postie picking the virus up from you (coughing or inadvertently touching hands) and then passing it by touching hands at every house they knock at on their rounds.

It's one more slight reduction in transmission, and it's an easy one, so why not?

We all need to accept that this is the new normal.

Yes, maybe it would be on the package, but it is less likely than catching it directly from the person. Even breathing can transmit it via the water vapour in the breath. So keeping distance is exactly right, So let’s all stop being so bloody polite and British and overly worried about offending people - it will really help!

Oh of course! I’m so sorry, I had been thinking of it the wrong way around.

@00Sassy it is about protecting the postie from you. If you have it and the postie hands the parcel to you and gets you to sign the pad and hand it back your germs are on the postie and the signature pad ready for him to pass on when he visits 87 year old Mavis with COPD down the road.

Very pleased to read that.

DH is a postie and be was worrying about this today. He's obviously going to comply because it's important and it makes sense, but it's going to add quite a bit of time to his round and he's already under pressure from RM to finish faster faster faster.

My husband is a postie and yes anything to help him not get it and bring it home to 2 vulnerable children and of course pass it on to God knows how many other people.
For the greater good and only a tiny inconvenience to customers.

Mine knocked on the door and handed me a parcel that could have gone through the letter box this morning