Two employees at Santa Maria Post Office test positive for COVID-19

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The United States Postal Service (USPS) announced that two employees at the Santa Maria Post Office recently tested positive for COVID-19.

In a statement released on Sunday, USPS said they are still in the process of contacting the public health department about the cases. They said they plan to follow any health guidance they receive.

The post office said, to protect patient privacy, they are unable to release any information about the positive-testing employees' conditions or identities.

However, USPS said they believe the risk is low that any other employees at the Santa Maria Post Office will catch the virus from these incidents.

The postal service also cited the CDC and US Surgeon General's statements explaining that it is unlikely the virus will spread through domestic or international mail and packages.

The statement said in part:

"The safety and well-being of our employees is our highest priority. To ensure the health of our employees, we are continuing to follow recommended guidance and strategies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

CDC states there is still a lot that is unknown about COVID-19 and how the virus spreads. Coronaviruses are thought to be spread primarily through air-borne respiratory droplets resulting from a sneeze, cough or ordinary speech. Although the virus can survive for a short period of time on some surfaces, both CDC and the United States Surgeon General have indicated that it is unlikely to be spread from domestic or international mail, products or packaging.

Out of an abundance of caution, we will enhance and supplement current cleaning protocols using disinfectants across the facility.

United States Postal Service