Italy Suspends Mail Delivery Due to Coronavirus

Weeks after the initial outbreak, Coronavirus continues to disrupt the international shipping industry. Italy is the most recent country to fall victim to disruption. More than 200 new cases of Coronavirus have been reported in Italy in the last three days. Citizens are in panic, and dozens of towns are now under quarantine. As a result, Poste Italian, Italy’s postal carrier, has suspended mail delivery in several of the country’s postal codes. Poste Italian announced this temporary suspension early Monday morning, when representatives asked the Universal Postal Union to inform other member countries of the decision.

The Italian Post Codes for Which Poste Italian Has Suspended Collection and Delivery

The postal codes where Italy has suspended mail collection and delivery are as follows:

• Casalpusterlengo – 26814, 26821, 26822, 26823, 26826, 26827, 26828, 26841, 26842, 26843, 26844, 26845, 26846, 26847, 26848, 26849, 26856, 26861, 26862, 26863, 26864, 26865, 26867
• Bertonico – 26821, 26822
• Castiglione d’Adda – 26823, 26826
• Terranova dei Passerini – 26827, 26828, 26841, 26842, 26843
• Castelgerundo – 26844
• Codogno – 26845, 26846
• Maleo – 26847
• San Fiorano – 26848, 26849, 26856
• Fombio – 26861, 26862, 26863, 26864, 26865
• Somaglia – 26867

The Significant Impact of the Coronavirus On the Economy (and the Shipping Industry)

The longer Coronavirus sticks around, the more damage the global economy will incur. In addition to the closing down of factories and global demand falling an estimated 5%, Coronavirus is bound to take its toll on the shipping industry, as well.

Here’s what we mean. China and Hong Kong currently contain the most number of people infected with Coronavirus. As a result, airlines have cancelled the majority of flights in and out of those two areas, which happen to be major international commerce hubs. This, in turn, has resulted in shipping carriers not being able to load commercial flights to those areas with mail and parcels. Shipping carriers typically rely on international commercial flights to transport mail and parcels for them, and without any flights in and out of China and Hong Kong, that cargo simply goes unshipped. Unshipped cargo means less revenue for both the airlines…and the participating shipping carriers.

With no clear end to the Coronavirus pandemic in sight any time soon, the prolonged lack of international shipping will undoubtedly hit shipping carriers where it hurts the most: their bottom lines.