Is There Mail Delivery Or Is The Post Office Open On Presidents Day?
Today marks Presidents Day, and it is the official observance of the birthday of the first President of the United States George Washington. Many offices will be closed across the U.S., including the independent agency of the executive branch of the U.S. federal government that provides mail delivery in the country, the United States Postal Service (USPS).
In addition to USPS offices being closed February 18, there will not be mail sent or delivered by USPS. You’ll want to plan accordingly today, and the post offices will open their doors again for business on Tuesday, February 19. Normal mail delivery will resume on Tuesday, as well.
Presidents Day is known in logistic’s circles as a bank holiday because e-commerce sites that use USPS see this section of their business close in observance of the federal holiday the same as most banks do, according to Worldpay. Often payroll is delayed in this sector and others because most banks are closed, too.
The USPS closes its doors for federal holidays 10 days each year, and they sometimes have unannounced closures in the case of severe weather or in the event of a national day of mourning. If you’ll remember, post offices were closed across the country last year when President Trump declared a day of mourning to honor 41st President George H.W. Bush after his death.
After President’s Day, there will be a long wait for the next federal holiday that sees the post office closed. That one will be Memorial Day, and it falls on Monday, May 27. That’s a little over three months from today if you’re keeping track.
There are several sources online that list the federal holidays that the post office observes and closes for, but it’s probably best to use the USPS Holidays & Events calendar for the 2019 holidays that they maintain on their official website.
That being said, you may see some delivery and mailing services operating normally by commercial couriers such as FedEx and UPS. However, packages arriving from online retailer Amazon sent by UPS or FedEx will not arrive on Presidents Day because they follow the same federal holiday schedule as the USPS does. For more information about open offices and stores and deliveries regarding FedEx, UPS and DHL, see here.
Presidents Day was created in 1879, and the country began celebrating it the year that followed. In the beginning, it was held on the first president’s birthday on February 22. However, in 1971, it was officially moved to the third Monday in February. Also interesting is the fact that Presidents Day was the first federal holiday that was created to honor an American citizen.
