UPU reviews how postal operators are confronting COVID-19 health impacts

08.04.2020 - As the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has said, the COVID-19 pandemic is a global health crisis affecting billions of people on this planet and is the most challenging crisis since the Second World War.

COVID-19 can only be solved through cooperation and collective acts of solidarity among governments, people and institutions. The Universal Postal Union (UPU), the UN specialized agency for postal matters, is helping by supporting postal operators on a number of essential fronts.

The postal organization is working with its partners on the health of postal workers and customers. As just two such examples, first, it issued a joint statement with UNI-Global Union calling postal operators and unions to work together to inform postal workers about the risks of infection, provide them with the necessary equipment, and recommend social distancing.

Second, UPU is also working with IATA to fast track permits allowing cargo carriers to take over withdrawn passenger operations in key hubs. The organization recommends removing restrictions, such as curfews, overflight charges and parking fees, and granting carriers temporary traffic rights to keep the supply chain moving.

To properly coordinate all of its actions, the UPU has created an Operational Continuity Unit within its Directorate of Postal Operations. The team meets to discuss best practices on how to deal with the pandemic, including health protocols among postal operators. Other teams are working to ensure that Posts receive the necessary personal protective equipment.

As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in order to ensure widespread coverage, Posts around the world have provided daily information on the pandemic using UPU’s Emergency Information System (also known as EmIS).

The messages show that Posts are fully engaged with slowing the spread of COVID-19 globally and the need to comply with the safety guidelines and recommendations issued by the governments and the World Health Organization.

As a way of furthering these goals, the UPU has created a presentation – Keeping the mail moving – outlining the varied health efforts undertaken by Posts. The goal of this presentation is to show the work of Posts, but also to amplify ideas in the world’s health battle against the virus.