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Letters | Covid safety in Hong Kong: the post office has it backwards

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People queue for services at the Hong Kong General Post Office in Central last July. Photo: Dickson Lee
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In many companies, new technology is being used to make processes more efficient and, particularly in these Covid times, to reduce risk to customers and staff. However, Hongkong Post appears to be going in the opposite direction.

Earlier this week, I needed to send a sympathy card to Britain for the death (from Covid-19 of course) of my uncle. However, there is no airmail. But I can use “e-Express” online, for five times the price.

Unfortunately, after putting all the information into the website, paying for the service, printing out my mailing label and so on, I still have to go to a post office in person, to queue up and have this all checked before I can post the letter!

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Why can’t I drop this into a postbox? Is this not the point of postboxes? The nearest post office to me is about half an hour away. Worse, the post office now shuts at 4pm “for Covid safety”. But the website also suggests that it means queues will be longer – which is inherently unsafe.

04:14

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It would be much more Covid-safe to allow small items like this 20g card to be put into a postbox, and for me not to spend 30 minutes on a bus (risking infection); some 10-30 minutes queuing (risking infection); and another 30 minutes on the way home.

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