COVID 'Christmas 2.0' no holiday for mail carriers

I am a rural and suburban mail carrier in Orlans, delivering to almost 1,000 customersincluding houses, businessesand retirement homes.

Because of the pandemic, we're experiencing volumes that are higher than we did at Christmas.We call it"Christmas 2.0."

• Got a story for our Point of View section? Email us with your idea.

It's busy and also stressful. We're delivering hundreds of items every dayincluding bulky items like shovels, Rototillers and car parts. People who never ordered online beforeare ordering online now.

We're starting to get sore and tired, working long hours to get these items to people. The extra volume and size of packages is physically taxing. We're now working sixdays a week instead of five.

• Surge in demand for online shopping has Canada Post struggling to keep up

We leave first thing in the morning with a full load, and then we come back to the depot and have the same amount waiting for us.

We're happy to provide this service to our customers, butyou do feel a little defeated when you're trying so hard and working extra hours, and as a rural and suburban mail carrier, I don't get paid extra for the overtime.

• Dear gas station customers: Please start taking COVID-19 seriously
• I'm a grocery store cashier, and I'm not doing so great right now

Thenthere's the virus to worry about. I do feel at risk. I'm working with the public, and I never know what's out there.

Canada Post has done their best to provide the supplies that we need to be safe gloves, masksand lots of hand sanitizer.

But it turns outI had a lot of bad habits I didn't realize I had!Like taking my marker cap off to label my items with my teeth. You don't realize how many things you touch in a day until you're so worried about touching things.

In the morning, we touch every single individual piece of mail probably two or three times as we sort and bundle them. At each community mailbox I touch (and sanitize) the keys. At each house, I sanitize myself and every doorknob I touch same as when I ring the doorbell at a business.I'm finding creative ways to knock on doors, like on the bottom left corner where no one else touches.

There are the normal dangers, like dogs or cars. But now people are potentially dangerous, too.- Jana Kelly

It's scary because you never know who's touched what.

It's a good thing we have all that hand sanitizer, because there's nowhere to get hot water right now to wash our hands. Same thing with the washroom. Sometimes Ilimit how much water I drink because there's nowhere to go, but I don't want to get dehydrated either.

The biggest thing for me is that I feel like I'm always on guard. I'm always looking around to make sure nobody's getting too close as you're trying to pay attention and do your job.

There are the normal dangers, like dogs or cars. But now people are potentially dangerous, too.

Some people are great about it. They see you coming and they wave through the window. They let you get on the sidewalk before they open their doors to grab their items.

They leave notes that say, "Sorry for ordering so much stuff but thank you for delivering during this time."

But I find now, because our customers are relying on us to get them their essential items, they are sometimes forgetful of social distancing. They're approaching more frequently and wondering if you have their package today and saying they ordered it a few days ago.

It's scary, especially when people come up to your car and knock on the window with masks on. You have to tell them to be patient, stay back, and as soon as it comes in, you'll have it, I promise.

Before I go home I disinfect my car. I change my coat. At home I strip down and put my uniform in a bag. l have a shower, then do my laundrywith bleach.

I have to, to protect my son and daughter, who onlyget to stay with me part of the time now. It's sad, because I only get to see my eight-year-old daughter one day a week because of workingweekends.

It's hard to explain to your family,"I'm sorry I have to work on Sunday because I don't want to work 14 hours Monday."

A year ago I moved down the street from my parents to help look after my dad. Now, I can't see my parents at all.

I think in the past, people might have taken postal service for granted, but now they realize how hard we work to serve them.

I'm hoping they remember to be respectful, too. We're trying to do our job and deliver the best that we can.