Hundreds of pensioners flock Post Offices

Hundreds of pensioners on Wednesday morning flocked post offices across the country for their monthly pension, ignoring a previous advisory from the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) that they should refrain from visiting for the first two days in the new month.

As Guyana battles the spread of the COVID-19 disease, the GPOC had noted that the option of authorising a family member to uplift pension payments is available and had urged pensioners to join in the fight to minimise the spread of COVID-19.

The GPOC had also noted that it was implementing a three feet distance between persons at the various post offices but on Wednesday, this was not widely implemented.

Workers at the Post Offices were observed Wednesday morning sanitising the hands of the pensioners before they enter the facility.

“To protect senior citizens during this period when they are most vulnerable to the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) is vehemently encouraging senior citizens to refrain from visiting the post offices during the first two days of the month unless it is absolutely necessary since vouchers can be cashed throughout the month.

“This comes in light of thousands of senior citizens who are usually congregated at the various post offices to access their pension payment every first and second day of each new month,” the GPOC had stated in its March 25 advisory.

“Our public areas will be sanitised intermittently throughout the day. Our customer service agents, postal clerks and postmen and women have all been provided with face masks and gloves to use while attending to our valued customers,” GPOC stated.