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21.10.2021
In accordance with the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers, Latvijas Pasts continues to provide services to all residents of Latvia. Enhanced security measures have been introduced for customer service at the post offices, reducing both the number of visitors to be served on site simultaneously and, accordingly, the number of cash register systems operating at the post offices. Therefore, there may be situations when a post office, where four cash registers operated until the implementation of the new security standards, which served a matching number of customers, can now offer services at two cash registers only. Furthermore, as a result of illness or quarantine, some post offices and delivery points may have to temporarily replace their staff completely, substituting them with colleagues from other divisions or bringing on temporary employees. As a consequence, the provision of services to customers and deliveries may be hampered.
Following the order of the Cabinet of Ministers on declaring a state of emergency in the country, new epidemiological security regulations have entered into force to contain the spread of the COVID-19 infection. Latvijas Pasts must continue to provide services to all residents of Latvia: customers do not have to show an interoperable certificate at the postal offices, but there are conditions that must be met when visiting a post office.
Taking into account the new security requirements established in the country, currently it is allowed to serve a smaller number of customers on site at the post offices than before: 15 square metres must be ensured per customer served, as a result of which the number of cash register systems has been reduced depending on the size of the post office. Ensuring the compliance with the new epidemiological requirements, Latvijas Pasts has brought down the number of active cash register systems across the country by more than 70, but in connection with the increase in the number of square metres that must be ensured per person, the number of customers served at the post offices at the same time has been reduced by more than 100 visitors. As a result, you may have to wait outside the post office for your turn and it may take longer than usual to receive the service.
Customers must wear a face mask and keep a distance of two metres when visiting a post office, whereas customers with symptoms of respiratory illness are not allowed to visit a post office.
As COVID-19 continues to spread, the negative effects of the virus may affect the provision of services in other ways too. As a result of the infection and the expansion of the number of designated contact persons, Latvijas Pasts may have to temporarily replace its customer service and delivery staff, thus burdening other structural units from which to attract temporary employees, or looking for new employees temporarily.
As a result of the infection and the expansion of the number of contacts, Latvijas Pasts may have to completely replace its staff engaged in customer service or delivery as a temporary solution, thus putting a strain on other divisions from which temporary employees are brought on or looking for new temporary staff. Considering that the process of replacement of staff takes place on the go, as it involves the immediate implementation of epidemiological security measures, new staff – postmen or post office operators – are trained right on the job, which inevitably leads to slower service and delivery of items.
For example, new postmen have to get a grasp on the addressing system in a specific area, which is often complex and opaque, in record time, while post office employees have to learn how to provide all the services – from the processing of postal items to money transfers. This process will also inevitably lead to slower service and possible disruptions in delivery, or postal services with fewer employees will be provided on a part-time basis.
In order to avoid spending more time than necessary at a post office, Latvijas Pasts encourages you to make maximum use of the company’s mobile application, which allows you to apply for the service remotely and show up at the post office just in time for receiving your service. You can apply for services remotely in 86 largest and busiest post offices throughout Latvia; the list of these post offices is available here.
About SJSC Latvijas Pasts
Latvijas Pasts ensures the widest availability of postal services throughout Latvia by maintaining more than 600 post offices. The primary function of the company is provision of the universal postal service; Latvijas Pasts also provides commercial transport, express mail, payment, press subscription, retail and philatelic services. Latvijas Pasts is a wholly State-owned company with about 3,200 employees. The quality measurements of Latvijas Pasts domestic mail deliveries are regularly conducted by Kantar TNS, one of the leading market, social and media research agencies in Latvia. In turn, the quality measurements of the cross-border deliveries are provided within the framework of the International Post Corporation through the intermediary of the research companies Kantar TNS, Ipsos and Quotas.
Additional information:
Gundega Vārpa | Head of External Communications
E-mail: pr@pasts.lv; gundega.varpa@pasts.lv
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