The Postal Service, during its busiest season, is seeing an uptick in COVID-19 quarantines among its workforce.
Despite this challenge, USPS data shows the agency provided a significantly higher level of service this year, compared to widespread mail and package delays it saw in December 2020.
USPS data shows it delivered more than 90% of first-class mail on-time so far in the first quarter of fiscal 2022. That’s a significant improvement, compared to the 78.44% of first-class mail delivered on time for the same period in FY 2021.
The improved performance is a positive sign for USPS management, which ramped up preparations for its peak holiday operations earlier than normal. However, the latest COVID-19 quarantine figures indicate USPS will continue to contend with employee availability issues well into 2022.
The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) reports more than 6,500 USPS employees, as of Dec. 24, were out of work because of COVID-19 infection or exposure. An APWU official told Federal News Network that these figures mark the highest quarantine rate for USPS since September this year.