A number of publishers have inquired about the ability of the virus to be transmitted through printed materials like magazines, newspapers, letters, and packages. The below links provide some useful information for both publishers and advertisers. In addition, we want to let all our clients know that the production process at Cummings Printing is largely automated and involves a minimal amount of human contact with the printed materials. If you have any concerns or questions, please let us know.
Zero incidents of COVID-19 transmission from printed surfaces
March 22, 2020
To Whom It May Concern,
This letter is to provide information regarding the functions being performed by the mailing and printing industry in support of the essential government services being provided by the United States Postal Service to the American people.
The Postal Service’s provision of postal services throughout the United States is not affected by State and local government actions that are restricting commercial and personal activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Postal Service is an entity of the Federal Government, and the provision of postal services to the American people is designated as an essential function under federal law during times of emergency. The postal system is used to deliver, among other things, important governmental information and benefits, mail that is essential to the functioning of our economy, elections materials, and packages containing vital necessities, including medicines and other goods, and is a part of the nation’s critical infrastructure.
Postal and shipping workers, including those in the private sector, are also considered essential critical infrastructure workers under recent guidance issued by the Department of Homeland Security. White House and CDC guidance has also stated that such industries have a special responsibility to maintain normal work schedules.
The functioning of the postal system depends critically on the mailing and printing industry. Members of the mailing and printing industry work with the public and private sector to create, print, and enter essential mail into the postal system. The industry also serves a vital role in ensuring that packages are able to be efficiently shipped from sender to recipient.
Therefore, the Postal Service considers that the continued operations of the mailing and printing industry in enabling the delivery of critical mail and packages is vital to the Postal Service’s continued performance of its essential functions.
In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) the following contingency plan has been implemented for Periodicals that will not be publishing per their stated frequency.
Publishers:
Note: PS Form 3510, Application for Reentry or Special Price Request for Periodicals Publication, is not required if frequency change is due to COVID-19
If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to the Mailing & Shipping Solutions Center at 877-672-0007 or your local Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU).
Links:
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A number of clients have asked about the USPS policy regarding delivering mail to closed businesses. Initially the USPS was holding mail for 10 days but that has changed to 30 days. Here is the 3.28.20 letter from the USPS on the subject.
Business Closed-Hold Mail
USPS is committed to identifying solutions to assist those businesses impacted by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
In an effort to best serve our business customers, we are temporarily modifying how we handle mail that must be returned to the delivery office due to a full box, or the business not being open to receive delivery for an extended period.
Current postal policy is to return the mail to the delivery office, indicate the date the mail is first returned to be held, and hold for 10 days. In order to accommodate businesses during this challenging time, we will now extend the hold period to 30 days before returning the items to the sender.
Once the business reopens, delivery should immediately resume unless other arrangements have been made. If the business fails to make alternative delivery arrangements or does not submit a request to hold or forward its mail after 30 days, the process of returning mail to the sender will resume.
Management may make efforts to contact business owners for whom we are holding mail to discuss the alternative options.
If businesses make contact after the 30-day hold period and Moved, Left No Address (MLNA) orders have been processed, the USPS will extend assistance as necessary to cancel and immediately resume delivery.
These instructions shall remain in place until further notice.
Industry and commercial customers can email questions or concerns about COVID-19 and the mail to with COVID-19 in the subject line. Mailers can also sign up for Industry Alerts at .
For more information, see the USPS Coronavirus Statement at about.usps.com/newsroom.
While the situation is fluid and things continue to change. UPS is open for business locally and around the globe and stands ready to deliver for our customers in this critical time.
UPS has been classified as part of the national critical infrastructure by the Department of Homeland Security. This allows us to keep operating, even with shelter in place orders and when non-essential business have been ordered closed, as an essential business. We continue to deliver to businesses that are open and residences across the globe.
UPS will continue operating across the entire country and globe unless restricted by government authorities in certain localities. The Novel Coronavirus pandemic has created unprecedented complexities, which have required us to constantly reassess our operations. Our highest priority is to help ensure the health and safety of our employees, customers, and suppliers. Effective March 26, 2020 and until further notice, we have suspended the UPS Service Guarantee for all shipments to any destination, at all service levels. As the effects of the Coronavirus impact our infrastructure, we will continue to seek guidance from local and national government entities regarding applicable regulations. All major carriers to date have taken the same step due to the ever-changing complexities. UPS is not relaxing any commitment times for these services and our goal remains to exceed customers’ delivery expectations.
Prior to shipping Small Package, please check to see if your recipient’s location is open, since business hours may have changed due to local restrictions. If the location is closed, we will hold your Small Package shipment and attempt to complete the delivery at a later date if the receiving location has indicated to UPS that it will reopen within 9 days. However, if the location is closed indefinitely, UPS will return the package to the sender.
For your convenience with Small Package services, The UPS Store® and UPS Access Point® locations can provide access to your vital deliveries. Also, you can sign up for free UPS My Choice® service which enables you to provide more specific delivery instructions such as where to leave deliveries, or redirect deliveries to another location, and also provides you with the ability to receive delivery notifications.
Additional information and FAQs can be found on the below webpage link.
This is a statement of our co-mailing partner, ALG:
ALG Worldwide Remains Fully Operational During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic but it is important that we relay to our clients there could be possible delays in deliveries.
As part of the transportation/supply chain, an essential business, ALG continues remain fully operational during the COVID-19 global pandemic. We are committed to protecting the high level of service our customers expect and deserve, however due to COVID-19 outbreak and measures imposed by governments around the world, there may be unavoidable service impacts on shipments. US domestic truckload capacity is tightening, widespread airline cancellations, and anticipated workforce shortages will cause unpredictable delays in the handling and delivery of your cargo. Due to the dynamic nature of this situation, we are placing a temporary suspension on delivery timetables due to this force majeure event. Therefore at this time we are not in a position to guarantee service/delivery by a specific date, however we can assure you that we are and will do all possible, using creative and out-of-the-box ideas to minimize the impact of this crisis.
This situation has all of us focused on the safety and health of our families, friends, and colleagues. The purpose of this communication is to provide information about steps ALG has taken to minimize the impact to our customers this situation causes and maximize our efforts to keep employees and customers safe.
The effect of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on supply chains is fluid and ongoing, and we are actively monitoring sources such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and have emphasized and shared their protocols and guidelines with our staff. As needed, we will alter our procedures in line with CDC guidelines as they develop.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that the world is now in “uncharted territory” pushing supply chains further into uncertain waters. The coming weeks will be a challenge for the global supply chain, and we can assure you that ALG is well versed in creative and out-of-the-box solutions as this situation develops.
It is important that we perform these services safely and responsibly in response to the developing situation with COVID-19. ALG’s continuity plan allows us to remain operational during this crisis by taking the following actions:
Rest assured your shipments are safe with ALG.
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