Margate Royal Mail delivery office short staffed due to second virus break out

Margate delivery office (image google)

The Royal Mail delivery office in Margate has been hit by covid again with inside reports of around 20 staff either affected or isolating because they have been in contact with those testing positive.

The depot was last affected with staff off due to the virus in January.

A source said deliveries to Margate, Westgate and Birchington may be affected as a result of being short staffed.

A Royal Mail Spokesperson said: “Royal Mail takes the health and safety of its colleagues, its customers and the local communities in which we operate very seriously.

“There are currently five colleagues that have tested positive for coronavirus at Margate Delivery Office. We wish them a speedy recovery.

“Some colleagues are also self-isolating.  We have carried out an intensive clean of the site and have organised additional cleaning of key touch points and all communal areas. We are keeping the Communication Workers Union, Public Health England and colleagues updated. We continue to deliver parcels and letters on a regular basis.”

After the first virus issue at Margate a Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We were the first UK company to put in place social-distancing measures in relation to parcel delivery. We pioneered contact-free delivery. We are temporarily not handing over our hand-held devices to customers to capture signatures.

“As well as encouraging good hand hygiene, standard ways of working have been revised to ensure that colleagues maintain appropriate social distancing at all times.

“All staff have been briefed about the social distancing measures jointly agreed by local management and the CWU. This has been supplemented with visible reminders such as posters and one-way floor markings.”

13 Comments

  1. No post since Friday in Margate
    Last week that was only delivery had over 15 letters which were sent the week before . Not good if you’re waiting for something important.

    • Likewise I had 17 letters delivered at once just over a week ago. Presume they have cut deliveries as not got enough persons to sort and deliver mail. Brings a whole new meaning to First Class Delivery.

  2. Is it still classed as a breakout if only one person has it but Nineteen others have to isolate because they came into contact with that one person?

    • Five people are confirmed as having it, others are isolating as a precaution and/or awaiting test results. I think break out is fair when it has an impact on a fair sized amount of the staff at one site

  3. No post on our street today that’s 7 days
    Not acceptable really I will go down the office and collect it if they can’t deliver .

  4. I’m awaiting an item important to me, but it’s not so important to put postal workers at risk…there’s a war on and we need the Dunkirk spirit to get through this together, stay safe.

  5. No mail has been received since Wednesday 24th February. Are we likely to have a resume of services soon?

  6. I live in Birchington and have not had a postal delivery since Monday 22nd March. Are Royal Mail prepared to pay interest on Credit and Bank Account statements both of which are now long overdue? Appreciate that there is a Covid problem at Margate which is sad however could the post not have been diverted to another delivery office or alternatively staff have been seconded from other offices?

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