YOUNGSTOWN — A second local postal worker has tested positive for COVID-19, this time in Youngstown.

“The U.S. Postal Service has learned that one of our Youngstown Post Office employees recently tested positive for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19),” read an official United State Postal Service statement provided Tuesday by Naddia Dhalai, strategic communication specialist for the Northern Ohio District and Ohio Valley District.

The statement was similar to the one released a day earlier when a Girard postal worker tested positive. The workers’ identities have not been released due to privacy laws. In Tuesday’s statement, USPS added policies it has implemented “to reduce health risks for our employees and customers, and to safeguard our operational and business continuity.”

They include giving employees access to hand sanitizer, masks and gloves; reinforced social distancing measures; updated cleaning policies; keeping employees informed; updating leave policies to give workers the ability to stay home if they feel sick; expanding telework opportunities to allow remote work; and leveraging localized continuity of operations plans that can be employed in the case of emergencies.

The postal service reiterated statements attributed to the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stating the low likelihood that a person infected with COVID-19 could contaminate packages or mail because items are shipped over a period of days at ambient temperatures.

The CDC states that no cases of COVID-19 have been associated with packages or mailed items.

Dr. James Kravec, chief clinical officer at Mercy Health-Youngstown and Mahoning County Public Health’s medical director on Tuesday agreed with that assessment, noting the most common way to spread COVID-19 is through respiratory droplets, as being close to someone when they cough or sneeze.

“There is a small chance of contracting COVID-19 via packaging,” Kravec said. He added, though, that he still encourages people to take precautions.

“Take caution — wash your hands after touching mail, packages, anything really — and disinfect places where the packages touch and any high-touch areas.”

Operations are continuing at post offices in both Girard and Youngstown. The U.S. Postal Service is considered an essential service that may continue operating despite the governor’s stay-at-home orders during the highly contagious novel coronavirus pandemic.

Contracted professional cleaners spent time Tuesday cleaning and disinfecting the environment inside the Girard Post Office, workers there confirmed.

“We are proud of the work our employees play in processing, transporting, and delivering mail and packages for the American public, which is a vital public service that is a part of this nation’s critical infrastructure,” the postal service statement said.

bshiller@tribtoday.com