Coronavirus: Hailsham council closes down services except for Post Office

A town council spokesperson said the post office in High Street will offer limited services until further notice and will be open from Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm and on Saturdays at 10am until 2pm.

The spokesperson also said Hailsham street markets, community hall bookings, Hailsham youth service and play areas in the town are closed until further notice.

Hailsham town mayor Paul Holbrook said, “It is our duty as a parish council to look after the health, safety and wellbeing of members, staff and visitors to our office building and community halls, as well as to our public events.

“This is a very challenging time for us all, and we are trying to balance the access to required services and properties with the need to promote public safety by reducing social interaction, which can spread the coronavirus.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the public for their understanding of these necessary precautions as we take every step possible to ensure their wellbeing and safety - and that of our members and staff.”

According to the town council, currently, lottery tickets at the Post Office will not be available to purchase and all non-essential posting, which includes eBay, Amazon and other online stores, are not permitted.

A council spokesperson said the ‘drop and go’ Post Office service will not be available for the time being and there will be two counters provided at any one time.

Post Office manager Christine Holversen said, “I’m happy that the post office will remain open for as long as possible during this very challenging time. Although services are fairly limited as a consequence of the coronavirus and will be for the foreseeable future, we are able to assist with essential post office services only.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to serve at the Post Office during the Covid-19 outbreak as, being a diabetic, I’m classed as vulnerable to the virus. However, I look forward to seeing our customers again soon hopefully.”

Chief executive of the Post Office Group Nick Read said, “We know how important Post Office branches are to our customers. And we, alongside our postmasters and branch colleagues, are doing all we can to keep our branches open so that we can continue to provide our products and services to you and your communities.

“At the moment, the majority of our branches are open as usual and our supply chain is running as normal. Our priority is to keep our customers, postmasters and colleagues safe and healthy.

“We have advised everyone working in our branches to practice good hand hygiene and we ask that our customers do the same, as well as maintaining a sensible distance between other customers and our colleagues.

“We will keep you updated as the situation evolves.”

• Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is an illness which affects the lungs and airways. Symptoms are a high temperature and continuous cough.

• The Government is now telling people to stay at home unless: shopping for basic necessities, one form of exercise a day, any medical need or to help a vulnerable person, and travelling to and from work - ONLY when absolutely necessary