The Nigerian Postal Service has expressed its readiness to join hands with the Presidential Task Force and other relevant agencies in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement released late on Monday night, the General Manager, Corporate Communication, Franklin Alao, stated that NIPOST has made available post offices in about 1400 locations to aid the campaign against the disease.

The post offices would be used to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid, medications and medical equipment to areas where they are needed.

They will also be deployed to bridge the social distance gap necessitated by the pandemic.

“The postal service remains the universally accepted channel of extending economic, social, financial, and digital opportunities to the broadest number of the population.

“With the presence of a post office in about 1400 locations across the country, making available the post offices to the PTF is our modest contribution in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic,” the statement said.

NIPOST, in the same vein, added that it would make changes its delivery processes by adopting longer retention period for parcels to give customers more time to collect or have their items re-delivered.

The changes, according to the statement, are aimed at preventing non-essential journeys in line with government’s stay–at–home directive.