The Vineyard Haven Post Office is trying to adhere to all the social-distancing guidelines mandated by the state and federal government, but one Island resident is calling the building “a zoo.”
Eileen Stanbrook voiced her concerns about possible safety issues inside the Vineyard Haven Post Office, particularly having to do with the six-foot rule and maximum group size.
In order to adhere to social distancing, folks are supposed to stay six feet away from each other, and are not supposed to gather or be in a confined space with more than 10 people.
Stanbrook told The Times she is in the susceptible age group for COVID-19, and her son has been going to get her packages for her.
“The other day, he said, he was in there for over an hour and a half. He called and said he doesn’t want to go anymore because he is concerned about getting sick,” Stanbrook said. “He called it a zoo.”
According to Stanbrook, in order to make the social-distancing requirements effective in preventing the spread of disease, they need to be enforced.
She suggested the Post Office only let in 10 people at a time, and utilize signage similar to that in Cronig’s Market, with “stand here” signs on the floors, and arrows directing the flow of foot traffic.
She also wondered whether a senior hour could be implemented at the Post Office, where only seniors are allowed to enter, similar to the senior hour at Island grocery stores.
Stanbrook said she believes the issue at the Post Office has been overlooked, and that the risk will grow as the population on the Vineyard rises through the summer.
“People are still going to want their mail even if they are quarantining; I can’t be the only one worried about this,” Stanbrook said.
During an afternoon visit on Wednesday, the Vineyard Haven Post Office was sparsely populated, and all inside were wearing masks. Folks picking up their mail were attempting to maintain safe distancing inside, but the lack of space in the building made it difficult.
In response to some of the concerns raised by Stanbrook, U.S. Postal Service spokesman Steve Doherty said the Post Offices on-Island and in the rest of Massachusetts are doing all they can to encourage social distancing, and keep their workers and customers safe.
“We have implemented Plexiglas screen guards to separate people getting mail from workers, and we have signs on the door that say ‘No more than 10 people in the lobby at a time,’” Doherty said. But just because the Post Office has signs doesn’t mean people are going to voluntarily adhere to the requirements.
Doherty said he believes the Post Offices have adequate signage, but said there is no easy way for them to monitor and enforce the social-distancing requirements.
“The Post Offices are doing all they can to encourage social distancing, and we are following all the advisories from the Centers for Disease Control,” Doherty said. “However, we don’t have someone to regularly monitor people inside.”
In order to accommodate the elderly and infirm, Doherty said, the Post Office has made accommodations on an individual basis, where a postmaster will come out to a person’s car, identify them, then hand them their mail. “If a Post Office isn’t handicap-accessible, or if someone has an individual request, there have been many instances where we make those accommodations,” Doherty said.
Stanbrook said she would utilize a curbside pickup for mail if one were available.
The physical restraints related to the size of the Vineyard Haven Post Office are inherent and difficult to overcome, according to Doherty. “We aren’t the only ones dealing with these limitations. Banks and other public entities are also doing what they can to encourage social distancing, while facing their own challenges,” Doherty said.
Tisbury health agent Maura Valley said she has not been asked to respond to any situation at the Post Office yet, but said she will be monitoring the situation closely in case anything happens.
Every time I have been to the post office lately it has been orderly, the lines on the floor show ppl where to stand, everyone has had masks on & plexiglass has been installed at counter…
Not sure what else they can do.
She suggested that only ten people be allowed in at a time and they utilize signage.
Makes me wonder when the last time she was actually in the post office was.
All the island post offices have doing both of those things for about six weeks now.
Personally, I do think the VH Post Office could more, but it would require some investment and probably that is not possible considering the financial state of the USPS. However, here are some simple suggestions. Leave the doors propped open during the day so people don’t have to touch them. Only allow X number of people in at one time, entering at the front and exiting at the back. Nobody goes in until someone comes out the other end. No line for the front desk within the building. Once the line reaches the limit, you must wait outside.
Oh gawd! How about people stop narc’ing on one another!?! This is getting ridiculous. The post office is doing all they can to adhere to this order. They don’t need this negative press
Wow the post office probably is doing everything it can do within the post office, reducing the number of people who need to come to the post office in the first place would contribute greatly to remedying the problem. Unfortunately, many packages are retained at or returned to the post office for pick up by the recipient because they do not fit in a mailbox. I understand that the existing carrier staff do not have time to deliver to individual homes because they are already over-extended. If this is true, for safety’s sake, the postal service should consider adding an additional carrier to provide the additional working hours necessary so packages can be dropped off on doorsteps rather than returned to the post office for pick up. This would make the post office safer for staff and the public.
Edgartown PO last week, sign clearly says 10 people at a time yet there were 22 people crammed inside