Post Office blocks mail to and from China and other Asian countries over coronavirus
Image: Gallo Images/Foto24/Felix Dlangamandla
No post will be sent or received from various countries in the Far East, as fears over the spread of the coronavirus heighten.
The South African Post Office (Sapo) announced on Wednesday that it would no longer accept or send mail intended for various countries due to challenges posed by the outbreak of Covid-19.
The affected countries are: China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Bangladesh.
“The airline carriers currently used by the SA Post Office for transport to and from these countries are unable to uplift mail due to challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic,” said spokesperson Johan Kruger.
Mail sent from these countries to SA will be delayed. It remained unclear when services would return to normal.
Kruger said the delays could last for “at an estimate, four or five days”.
“The Post Office will resume services once suitable arrangements have been made with different airlines and would like to apologise for the inconvenience,” he added.