The postal worker
One of a series of stories looking at the new normal for our neighbours whose jobs are considered essential
KITCHENER — Sometimes Alison King opens a mailbox to deliver mail and finds a little handwritten note of gratitude inside.
As an letter carrier who is out on the streets delivering mail during the pandemic, it warms her heart to see these messages.
“People have been great,” she said. Passersby love to stop and chat with King when she’s walking her route, but these days they will cross the street when they see her coming, and she appreciates that.
She will talk to people who are outside in their driveways or on their front porches, but from a distance.
“It’s a matter of keeping everyone safe,” she said.
Letter carriers have to be mindful of their actions. They can’t hand people their mail anymore. They can’t pop into the nearest Tim Hortons to use the washroom during a shift.
Now, their only option is to call a cab and go back to the Canada Post distribution centre on Trillium Drive to use the washroom, then take another cab back out to their route.
Letter carriers and postal workers who drive trucks to deliver parcels have to be extra vigilant. Especially because COVID-19 has made postal workers busier than ever.
The number of packages being delivered right now can be compared to Christmas time. King said she suspects it is because more people are at home and shopping online.
At Canada Post’s distribution centre, postal workers have staggered shifts, practice physical distancing and routinely disinfect surfaces. Infection control practices coupled with a higher than normal volume of packages have added to nationwide delays in mail delivery.
But despite the slow process, King said she hasn’t run into any issues on her route yet.
People say “hello” through their windows, leave thank-you notes and prop open their mailboxes to accommodate postal workers.
King said they have access to gloves, masks and hand sanitizer at work.
She personally chooses not to wear them on their routes and practice good hygiene instead.
“I’m not afraid, but there is a heightened awareness when I am working,” she explained.
As someone who lives alone, King is grateful to be able to go to work and to socialize with her coworkers and people she may encounter on her route that day.
“It takes the edge off. My situation is good compared to what other people are going through.”
The only thing she would ask is if people would be mindful of their dogs. On Thursday, King was putting mail in someone’s mailbox when a dog barked, lunged at the screen door and knocked the latch. The door swung open and startled her.
“I froze. My heart stopped,” she laughed.
The homeowner was apologetic and pulled the dog back inside, but King said this type of interaction breaks physical distancing rules.