More infectious virus

[Bunjinan]

So we now have a more infectious virus and staff are still working closely together rather than working an early and late shift. Just makes no sense to me, think Royal Mail should demand this happens.

[Busterbear]

RM are rubbing there hands together thinking about the extra volume of parcels . As far as we’re concerned there heads are buried deep in the sand .

[Grumpyoldmailman]

If you want to do a late shift I’m sure your Dom will let you.

[pex]

Al but 3 people out of about 10 who opted to do afternoon delivery walks reverted to mornings as soon the clocks changed.
It's a pain delivering in the dark, more chance of a fall and you can bet the van interior lights don't work to add to the misery.
People still had to wait for a van to return from the 1st to finish the early start and vans were never cleaned in any way for the next driver who used it.
Why not hire a few more vans to sort the problem out, the safer solution?.

[Postie45]

It's a pain delivering in the dark, more chance of a fall and you can bet the van interior lights don't work to add to the misery.

Its not a pain though, those delivering in dark should be taking their time, insisiting on being provided with a torch, its unreasonable to expect a delivery do be completed in the same amount of time. If you dont complete, follow cut off procedure.

[cpsteve]

It's a pain delivering in the dark, more chance of a fall and you can bet the van interior lights don't work to add to the misery.

Its not a pain though, those delivering in dark should be taking their time, insisiting on being provided with a torch, its unreasonable to expect a delivery do be completed in the same amount of time. If you dont complete, follow cut off procedure.

Forget delivering in the dark its dangerous done it once never again.

[Bunjinan]

If you want to do a late shift I’m sure your Dom will let you.

I do do a late shift, I was more thinking of the health of others

[markarronsmith]

It's a pain delivering in the dark, more chance of a fall and you can bet the van interior lights don't work to add to the misery.

Its not a pain though, those delivering in dark should be taking their time, insisiting on being provided with a torch, its unreasonable to expect a delivery do be completed in the same amount of time. If you dont complete, follow cut off procedure.

Forget delivering in the dark its dangerous done it once never again.

I fell today on a late shift. Slipped down someone’s drive and dropped all mail and D2D. Had to sort all my mail out in the dark to re order it

[iHateD2Ds]

It is a pain delivering in the dark.
I Deliver letters until it get dark 4pm ish then onto parcels.

[steve1873]

It's a pain delivering in the dark, more chance of a fall and you can bet the van interior lights don't work to add to the misery.

Its not a pain though, those delivering in dark should be taking their time, insisiting on being provided with a torch, its unreasonable to expect a delivery do be completed in the same amount of time. If you dont complete, follow cut off procedure.

Correct. I've been doing backshift since about August and when clocks changed, it did make it more difficult, but that's not really my problem. I use a head torch and take my time and if it can be completed it can be completed. If it can't, it can't. End of.

And I have not once been given grief from management about leaving stuff and/ or bringing stuff back.

[Postie45]

It's a pain delivering in the dark, more chance of a fall and you can bet the van interior lights don't work to add to the misery.

Its not a pain though, those delivering in dark should be taking their time, insisiting on being provided with a torch, its unreasonable to expect a delivery do be completed in the same amount of time. If you dont complete, follow cut off procedure.

Correct. I've been doing backshift since about August and when clocks changed, it did make it more difficult, but that's not really my problem. I use a head torch and take my time and if it can be completed it can be completed. If it can't, it can't. End of.

And I have not once been given grief from management about leaving stuff and/ or bringing stuff back.

some of this stuff takes a slight backbone... instead of whining or just running back on to early shifts :arrrghhh Its the managers problem to manage workload not for us posties to run around in the dark taking unsafe risks. Id estimate that in the dark you should be delivering at most 75% of the delivery span in the same amount of time as in the light, even that may be too much but at least its a start.

[PostmanBitesDog]

I'm just updating this thread due to two new COVID-19 variants that have been in the spotlight recently. Both are mutations of the Delta variant, and even though the number of positive cases are low at this time, the C.1.2 is considered as a variant of concern while the Mu variant is considered as a variant of interest.

C.1.2 variant

Identified in May 2021 in South Africa. Similar to the increases of the early detection of the Beta and Delta variants. In June 2021 it was detected in England and China, and as of 13 August 2021 it had also been detected in Portugal, Switzerland, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mauritius, and New Zealand.

C.1.2 contains multiple substitutions and deletions within the spike protein. The variant reportedly mutate at higher rate than other VOCs (Variants of Concern).

Mu variant (lineage: B.1.621)

First detected in Colombia in January 2021 and was designated by the WHO as a variant of interest on August 30, 2021. The WHO said the variant has mutations that indicate a risk of resistance to the current vaccines and stressed that further studies were needed to better understand it. Outbreaks of the Mu variant were reported in South America and Europe.

SFGate (September 4, 2021) ~ 'Concerning Constellations of Mutations': What to Know About the C.1.2 Variant of the Coronavirus

The Guardian (September 1, 2021) ~ WHO Monitoring New Coronavirus Variant Named Mu

[Haditup]

The virus is mutating all the time and the serious ones become dominant.
The real danger is the vaccine will become lesser or not effective against the new mutant also adding vaccine protection slowly disintegrates after 6 months.
We are basically waiting for it to happen and get ####ed.

We are more than thirty times more likely to catch Covid than last year and our only saviour is the vaccine

Situation is dire at sorting offices, nicely making a Covid breeding ground.
Mask not worn ,ventilation windows close.
Nobody wipes vehicles with anti bacterial
You approach managers with your concerns and it happens again the next day.
It’s like Covid doesn’t exist!

[SpacePhoenix]

Covid is never going to go away. We've all got to live with it. It'll be just like flu where they choose the dozen worst variants each year to make the yearly vaccine protect against

[PostmanBitesDog]

As winter approaches...

Metro (September 3, 2021) ~ Covid Restrictions Could Return in Winter as Boris Johnson Plans to Extend Laws

Boris Johnson is preparing to renew his ‘draconian’ emergency Covid laws as he goes head-to-head with anti-lockdown MPs.

It means that pandemic restrictions could be on the cards to cover a possible winter surge.

When the House of Commons returns next week from recess, MPs will vote on whether to extend the Coronavirus Act – first introduced 18 months ago and runs until March 2022.

The legislation gives the Government, local authorities and police sweeping powers to temporary close down schools and businesses, suspend public gatherings and even postpone local elections, as evidenced in 2020.

And we're still dealing with an unprecedented number of cases which is overwhelming the health services.

Reuters (Sept. 4, 2021) ~ Britain's COVID-19 Cases Up by 2.4% Over Past Week