WASHINGTON, D.C. (WLNS) – Snail mail has slowed to a crawl. According to data from the U.S. Postal Service, the on-time delivery rate for first-class mail in the first three months of 2021 was just 78%.
That’s compared to 92% from the same period last year, before the pandemic. However, it is even slightly lower than the on-time delivery rate leading up to the 2020 election, when COVID-19 was surging in the U.S. and the Postal Service was dealing with greater volume in the form of millions of mail-in ballots.
Experts encourage people to send essential mail, like rent checks, earlier than usual to ensure on-time delivery.
On Friday, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said he was optimistic that service would improve by the end of the year. However, his 10-year plan for the agency includes slowing down the standard for first-class mail delivery from three days to six for destinations in the continental U.S.