As the non-official Postal Service motto states, “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” they can now add “nor virus” as the Post Office has remained open and postal workers continue to do their jobs. In a sense the Riverbank Post Office has been performing business as usual in an unusual time with a few added safety protocols as COVID-19 continues to affect the masses.

The Riverbank Post Office has taken several precautions in their daily functions with a sneeze guard added for protection for employees and customers at the retail counter. They have implemented social distancing guidelines for those in line and all employees. The postal workers have been provided masks, gloves and hand sanitizer.

“The Riverbank Post Office is deemed essential,” stated Meiko S. Patton, Communication Programs Specialist for the United States Postal Service. “The Postal Service delivers much needed medications and Social Security checks, and we are the leading delivery service for online purchases. The Postal Service is an essential service for purposes of compliance with state or municipality shelter-in-place orders or other social distancing restrictions.”

There are about 14 employees at the Riverbank Post Office that have continued delivering packages and mail on their routes along with helping customers at the counter. The public has the ability to mail, ship packages and purchase stamps without leaving their homes. For more information visit usps.com or go to https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/ca/2020/0403-how-to-mail-and-ship-without-leaving-home.htm.

“The overall morale of the employees has been positive,” added Patton. “All employees at Riverbank understand the importance of working safely during this time and how important their roles are to the Riverbank community.”

With the stay at home order in place she noted that there has been an increase of people ordering supplies online and they will continue to serve the community. This has caused an increase in hiring nationwide for the United States Postal Service.

Their mission is as stated, “The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities.”

In a media statement by USPS earlier this month they expressed that “We provide a vital public service that is a part of this nation’s critical infrastructure. The Postal Service has a dedicated Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Command Response leadership team that is focusing on employee and customer safety in conjunction with operational and business continuity during this unprecedented epidemic. We continue to follow the strategies and measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and public health departments.”

The public is asked to follow the social distancing rules with all the Riverbank employees for the safety of all involved and as a reminder to secure pets safely behind locked doors when letter carriers deliver the mail.

“The Riverbank Post Office would like to thank the Riverbank community for allowing the Postal Service to be their shipper of choice,” said Patton.