RESIDENTS in parts of north Essex have faced post delays after Royal Mail’s delivery office in Harwich was hit by Covid-19.

Royal Mail has confirmed ten members of staff in its Harwich delivery office have the virus and some other members of staff are self-isolating.

It means residents across Harwich and nearby villages have seen fewer deliveries. 

But the community has rallied around their posties, showing support for those impacted by the virus.

Jo Gent took to Facebook to say: “No post for over a week but I'd much rather see our lovely postman in Ramsey again. Get well soon to all post office staff affected, you do a great job.”

Gill Poston added: “What matters is that all concerned get through this. Post can wait, lives can't.”

While Alan Gardner said: “Not had any post in Harbour Crescent for a while. It is a slight inconvenience when compared to post workers’ health and safety.

“It takes something like this to make you realise how much people, including myself, take our postal service for granted.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said they are expecting members of staff self-isolating to return this week.

They said: “Across the UK, our people are working hard to deliver as comprehensive a service as possible to all our customers in challenging circumstances.

“Despite our best endeavours, it is possible some areas of the country may experience a reduction in service levels due to higher volumes of mail during the lockdown, the ongoing impact of COVID-related staff absences and necessary social distancing measures at local mail centres and delivery offices.

“Every single letter and parcel is important to us.

“Like most organisations, we have a number of employees who are self-isolating in line with government guidance.

“This has a direct impact on our staffing levels, especially in areas where there are higher levels of local outbreaks.

“We are working hard to deliver as normal a service as we can, drawing in extra resource and offering additional overtime where possible.”