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Royal Mail has halted deliveries to Europe, with the exception of the Republic of Ireland, due to a travel ban to the UK triggered by the discovery of a new, more rapidly spreading strain of coronavirus.
The company also added Canada and Turkey to its “on hold” list due to delays caused by “severely limited” air capacity.
Additionally, Royal Mail said it could not guarantee that special delivery items posted on December 23 would arrive before Christmas due to the fact that COVID-19 restrictions introduced in England.
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Confirmation of a more infectious coronavirus variant has seen countries around the world close their borders to the UK, including France, closing one of the most important trade routes with continental Europe and causing a significant transport disruption in Kent.
Royal Mail said on its website: “This is a fast-moving situation and we are monitoring things hourly.
“We are working to keep as many international mail services running as possible, given the current restrictions around air, road, rail and rail movements from the UK.
“Royal Mail has temporarily suspended all mail services to Europe, with the exception of the Republic of Ireland.”
He added: “We are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to open our services as soon as we can once the restrictions have been lifted.
“Additionally, we are experiencing delays in Canada and Turkey due to very limited air capacity.
“We are working with our airlines and postal / courier partners around the world to maintain services, however delays are to be expected.
“The number of countries we can access changes daily.”
The German mail company Deutsche Post DHL has also stopped all parcel deliveries to Great Britain and Ireland.
