COVID-19 USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL Express Service Updates and Outages
In This Article |
USPS International Outbound Service Outages FedEx Covid-19 Related Service Updates |
The USPS are suspending all services into Hong Kong starting January 14th, 2022. Both commercial passenger flights and cargo flights from the USA to Hong Kong are banned for an initial period of 2 weeks.
ePost Global has alternative options for delivery to Hong Kong - please contact your sales representative or your customer service representative for further information.
The USPS will resume the acceptance of some package services to New Zealand starting Friday, January 14th.
First-Class Package International Service (FCPIS)
Commercial ePacket (CeP)
International Priority Airmail (IPA) Packets
International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) Packets
However, the following services to New Zealand will remain suspended until further notice:
Priority Mail International (PMI)
Airmail M-Bags
International Priority Airmail (IPA) M-Bags
International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) M-Bags
Canada Post is experiencing delays due to staff shortages caused by the rapid spread of the new COVID-19 OMICRON variant. The situation is constantly changing and our vendors continue to adapt as best they can. Canada Post has mentioned that they may have to take certain measures such as the short term closures of some post offices and reducing the hours of operation. At the moment these are only contingency plans, however they may be implemented across the country in the coming weeks.
U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail products and First-Class packages may require more time to be delivered due to limited transportation availability as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) impacts to the United States.
Effective April 17, 2020:
The Postal Service’s flagship Priority Mail Express service, which guarantees overnight service, will not change.
Service commitments for local 1-day Priority Mail will not change.
Priority Mail’s two and three day service commitments now will be extended to three and four days respectively. Customers will continue to receive end-to-end visibility and improved product tracking, as well as up to $50 in free insurance.
With the extra day extension, customers should expect delivery using Priority Mail Open and Distribute (PMOD) to range from two to four days nationwide.
First-Class Package Service (FCPS) two and three day service commitments will also be extended to three and four days respectively.
Global Express Guaranteed Services also have been altered.
For a full list of international and domestic updates, refer to usps.com. You can also view USPS Covid-19 related Service Alerts here. |
To avoid a disruption in service, you can ship packages to Australia via USPS Priority Mail International, Priority Mail Express International, or Stamps' Global Advantage Program.
For already shipped items, other than Global Express Guarantee® (GXG®), USPS employees will endorse the items as “Mail Service Suspended — Return to Sender” and then place them in the mail stream for return.
Unless otherwise noted, service suspensions to a particular country do not affect delivery of military and diplomatic mail.
Effective April 10, 2020, the Postal Service will temporarily suspend international mail acceptance to destinations where the foreign postal operator has indicated that they are unable to process or deliver international mail or services originating from the United States.
Customers are asked to refrain from mailing items addressed to the following countries, until further notice:
Curaçao |
Mauritius |
Malawi |
Nepal |
In addition, effective April 10, 2020, the Postal Service will temporarily suspend international mail acceptance to destinations where air and sea transportation is unavailable due to widespread cancellations and restrictions into the area. Customers are asked to refrain from mailing items addressed to any of the following countries, until further notice:
Burundi |
Lesotho |
Cuba |
New Guinea |
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Republic of Congo |
Guinea Bissau |
Rwanda |
Guyana |
UAE |
Kenya |
Zambia |
Kiribati |
This information may change. For the most recent information, please review the USPS International Service Disruptions page. |
Select one of the entries below to display disruption information for that location or event.
These disruptions affect the following services:
Priority Mail Express International® (PMEI)
Priority Mail International® (PMI)
First-Class Mail International® (FCMI)
First-Class Package International Service® (FCPIS®)
International Priority Airmail® (IPA®)
International Surface Air Lift® (ISAL®)
M-Bag®
For already deposited items, other than GXG, Postal Service employees will endorse them “Mail Service Suspended — Return to Sender” and then place them in the mail stream for return.
For any returned item bearing a customs form, the Postal Service will, upon request, refund postage and fees on mail returned due to the suspension of service.
For all other returned items not bearing a customs declarations form, the Postal Service will, upon request, refund postage and fees on mail returned due to the suspension of service, or the sender may re-mail them with the existing postage once service has been restored. When re-mailing under this option, customers must cross out the markings “Mail Service Suspended — Return to Sender.”
Effective April 2, 2020 and until further notice, FedEx has suspended delivery services to specific international destinations.
Starting April 6th, FedEx will be implementing a temporary surcharge on international parcel and freight shipments from the United States.
Please review the FedEx Shipping Rates: Surcharges and Fees page for details. |
As of April 2, 2020 and until further notice, FedEx will suspend its money-back guarantee for many services, including all FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, and FedEx Freight services.
FedEx will follow new guidelines for collecting signatures. Recipients may be asked to verify their name, rather than sign for a parcel. Surcharges still apply for signature services, as FedEx is still collecting recipient information. In addition, Adult Signature still requires a government-issued photo ID, and a physical signature may still be required.
For additional COVID-19 related updates for FedEx services, please review the FedEx Coronavirus Updates page. |
Effective April 3, 2020 and until further notice, UPS has suspended delivery services to specific international destinations. Local regulations may further affect both domestic and international delivery.
Any parcels that cannot be delivered will be returned to the sender.
Starting April 5th, UPS will be implementing a temporary surcharge on international shipments from the United States to select countries.
Please review the UPS Rate Change page for details. |
Effective March 26, 2020 and until further notice, UPS will suspend its UPS Money Back Guarantee (also known as UPS Service Guarantee).
UPS will follow new guidelines for collecting signatures. To reduce person-to-person contact, drivers can sign for customers when packages require a signature. Parcels that cannot be signed for will be marked with the code CV19 plus 11 digits of the recipient's name as proof of delivery.
For additional COVID-19 related updates for UPS services, please review the UPS Service Alerts page. |
Effective April 3, 2020 and until further notice, DHL Express has suspended delivery services to specific international destinations.
Contact your account manager for the operational status of your country.
To ensure successful residential deliveries, DHL Express recommends that recipients register at www.ondemand.dhl.com, where they can choose preferred delivery options, including non-contact delivery. |
Effective April 1, 2020 and until further notice, DHL Express will assess an Emergency Situation Surcharge on all Time Definite International (TDI) shipments. Surcharges do not apply to Day Definite International (DDI) shipments, Time Definite Domestic (TDD) shipments, Life Science and Healthcare customers, nor DHL Medical Express (WMX) shipments.
For additional COVID-19 related updates for DHL Express services, please review the DHL Services Information Coronavirus page. |
Still Need Help?
Please feel free to reach out to one of our awesome Technical Support Representatives in St. Louis. We are happy to help.
Have a comment to share about this article? We'd love to hear from you. You must be logged in to your Support Portal account to leave a comment.
Comments
0 comments