THUNDER BAY — Canada Post wants Canadians to practise social distancing while letter carriers are out doing their job.
Your neighbourhood, spokesperson Jon Hamilton says, is the letter carrier's workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the carrier comes to your home, Hamilton said Tuesday, "If you do want to give them a thumbs-up, or a thank you, just wave through the window."
He said that in normal times, about half of Canadians are not at home when the mail is delivered.
"Obviously, that's gone way up, so there's more potential for interaction. You may just think you're being friendly opening the door to say thank you so much for delivering. But our employees see a couple hundred people a day...so we're asking everyone to practise social distancing," Hamilton said in an interview.
He said most people are mindful of the need to stay two metres apart from others, but some forget this when they see a letter carrier coming down the sidewalk.
Canada Post is also asking dog-owners to keep their pets on a leash.
Hamilton said the number of interactions between postal workers and dogs has been increasing.
"More people are walking their dog. Make sure you keep your dog on a leash because otherwise a dog can run up, which makes social distancing difficult, and can also lead to a bite," he said.
Last week, Canada Post implemented a number of measures aimed at protecting its staff from the coronavirus.
These include the "knock, drop and go" approach to leaving parcels on the doorstep.
It wants customers to keep the door closed and to allow the carrier time to leave before retrieving a parcel.
Hamilton said stepped-up safeguards within postal facilities include clear plastic barriers being installed at service counters in Thunder Bay, and increased cleaning at the Alloy Drive depot.
He said the Public Health Agency of Canada has indicated that people shouldn't be concerned about getting COVID-19 by touching mail.
"They say that's not how the coronavirus is shared. There's a very low risk."
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