Are Post Offices open today? Coronavirus opening times, and advice – The Sun

It comes after the Prime Minister said that Brits will only be able to go to supermarkets, pharmacists, pet shops, hardware stores, and newsagents in an unprecedented high street shutdown.

⚠️Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

Post Offices and banks are also allowed to remain open – check out our round-up of bank opening times for more information.

There are around 11,500 Post Office branches around the UK, the majority of which are run independently or on a franchise arrangement.

The Post Office has confirmed that the vast majority will remain open as normal, with only temporary closures due to coronavirus-related staff sickness.

Opening times have always varied by branch, with no set hours across the network.

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS – BE IN THE KNOW

Don't miss the latest news and figures – and essential advice for you and your family.

To receive The Sun's Coronavirus newsletter in your inbox every tea time, sign up here.

To follow us on Facebook, simply 'Like' our Coronavirus page.

Get Britain's best-selling newspaper delivered to your smartphone or tablet each day – find out more.

Although, the standalone Post Offices are currently open from 9am to 3pm on Monday to Friday and from 9am to 12.30pm on Saturdays.

The first hour of every day in Post Offices which aren’t franchised or in other shops is for elderly and vulnerable customers as well as NHS staff and care workers.

For any other Post Offices, you'll need to check its online branch finder tool to find your nearest, alongside its opening hours.

If you pop down to your local Post Office and find it's closed, there will likely be a poster in the window advertising where your nearest branch is instead.

As well as being used to send letters and parcels, you can also use your Post Office to access your high street bank account and make withdrawals, deposits, balance enquiries and more.

Due to "unprecedented demand" the Post Office says it is experiencing delays for anyone looking to verify documents via its GOV.UK services.

If you're waiting for a document to be verified through the app, customers are advised to log out and check back later.

A notice on the website says: "Our team are working hard to process all incoming verification applications and will fulfill your request in due course.

"Once your document has been processed, you'll receive an email. You can then log back into your account to resume your registration.

"If you need help, email [email protected] and we'll get back to you as soon as we are able."

Post is still being collected and delivered, according to Royal Mail.

To minimise risk, workers will have to stay two metres apart with only one person in a Royal Mail delivery vehicle at any one time.

To avoid spreading germs on handheld signature devices, postmen and postwomen will instead log the name of the person accepting the item, and sign on their behalf.

Having knocked on the door, parcels will be placed on the doorstep with Royal Mail staff then stepping aside to a safe distance while households retrieve their item.

It adds that from experience with other viruses, these types of viruses don’t survive long on objects, such as letters or parcels.

From March 23, the price of a first class stamp rose by 6p to 76p.

While the cost of a second class stamp went up by 4p to 65p.

Source: Read Full Article