Postal service adapts to increased mail shipping and deliveries in Borderland amid pandemic

EL PASO, Texas -- Adapting to a new way of doing things for federal agencies around the country has become to the new norm. Here in the Borderland it is no different.  

The pandemic has affected has those who work handling mail for the United States Postal Service.

Michael Cardenas, a USPS clerk at the Coronado Station on Remcon pinpointed when the increased workload began.

“For us it was right after Christmas and it never stopped. Christmas pretty much came and it went and the volume kept going higher and higher. It's just been non stop since,” he explained.

This forced the postal service employees to have to work even harder than they had before.

“All my employees, including myself, have been working extra hours just because the volume has increased. I know some people have been working 10, 12 hours and we are a 24-hour operation here at this station. There is always someone here in the back.” the steadfast clerk told ABC-7.

It seemed like Amazon and common cleaning supplies were flooding post offices around the country by Americans trying to fight the virus.

“I’ve seen an increase in cleaning supplies, toiletries, clorox wipes, foods that they can't pick up or get in stores. So they have them shipped to their houses and we deliver them to them,” and as for “Amazon, our orders have just skyrocketed. Our packages have increased three, four, five times fold,” Cardenas shared.

At his postal station they also follow proper personal protective standards and enforce social distancing to aid in combating the global pandemic.

“We are all wearing masks, gloves, we have Plexiglas glass partitions, we are all maintaining social distancing and I am constantly sanitizing the front window, counter, lobby to make sure everything is nice and clean to the touch,” he said.

Through all the extra work and not knowing what will come from Covid-19, Cardenas is very proud to serve the community during this time: “It's a privilege to help the people. It's an honor to be working here.”