Rain and sleet are fine – a pandemic is another matter.
Frustrated residents across the city aren’t getting their mail amid the coronavirus crisis, The Post has learned.
With carriers calling out sick in high numbers due to the pandemic, the United States Postal Service said it’s struggling to maintain its reputation for dependability in all conditions.
“I can confirm that our workforce, like others, is not immune to the human impacts of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic,” said USPS spokesman Xavier Hernandez.
Angry residents at an Upper East Side building said Friday they haven’t seen a piece of mail since Saturday – and aren’t getting any answers from USPS offices or officials.
“I am angry,” said boiling building occupant Josh Baran, 63. “I understand that they may be short, some people may be out sick. But for a week? That’s unacceptable. Does that mean I won’t have mail for a month?”
Other residents said they are missing key pieces of mail ranging from checks and bills to sorely needed tax refund checks.
A doorman said he has seen irate residents kick their mailboxes in frustration after opening them up and seeing nothing inside once again.
“People are very angry about this,” he told The Post Friday. “They’ll tell me they’re waiting for a bill or they’re waiting for a check or they’re waiting for something.”
Another resident of the building, Susan Finelli, said her calls to USPS offices have yielded little more than long hold times vexing conversations.
“I am expecting my New York State tax refund,” Finelli said, noting that she waited for an hour on the phone before someone picked up. “I called the office to find out where this check was. They told me it was mailed out on April 3rd so God knows where that is.”
Finelli said she is also unsure if several checks that she mailed out were ever delivered and fears incoming financial headaches in an already stressful climate.
“If there is a problem in not delivering the mail, we should be advised,” she said. “Perhaps we can pick it up ourselves. There should be accommodation and communication. If it’s the virus, fine, come get your mail. Don’t have the mail in limbo somewhere.”
Hernandez said Friday that the service has been trying to cope with logistical problems stemming from the contagion.
“We continue flexing our available resources to match the workload and we are proud of the efforts of postal employees across New York, and the nation, as they define essential public service every day,” he said.