The Postal Service's Surprising Role in Surviving Doomsday

[babylonsister]

Garrett M. Graff
03.25.20 10:00 AM
Security
The Postal Service's Surprising Role in Surviving Doomsday
The little-known Postal Plan, which dates back to the Clinton era, charges mail carriers with delivering critical supplies—like vaccines—as a last resort.


Congress raised concerns this week that the ongoing Covid-19 crisis—and the resulting “critical fall-off in mail” volumes across the sheltering-in-place country—might bankrupt the United States Postal Service in a matter of weeks. “A halt in Postal Service operations could have grave consequences across the country,” two senior members of the House warned on Monday, saying it could be out of money by June.

While Congress said it was most concerned about the Postal Service’s critical role in delivering medicine across the country during the unfolding pandemic—it handled about a billion shipments of prescription drugs last year—the nation’s mail carriers potentially have an even more critical role to play in health emergencies.

If and when a mass vaccine finally arrives for Covid-19, Americans may be surprised to learn precisely who might knock at their door to distribute the life-saving aid: A mask-clad, gloved postal carrier, flanked by a deputy sheriff or National Guard soldier.

snip//

Instead, the modern era’s postal Doomsday mission has been geared toward biological threats. Under a little-known Obama administration plan, “Executive Order 13527: Medical Countermeasures Following a Biological Attack,” it would fall to the Postal Service to be the first-line responders to a widespread biological terror incident—think an anthrax attack, where the post office shows up at your door with Cipro. Those plans could potentially be dusted off to help respond to disease epidemic or pandemic.

more...

https://www.wired.com/story/us-postal-plan-coronavirus-vaccine-doomsday/amp?fbclid=IwAR2Xf_84WgBVkQZrLvEoHm-eWJ4mTNMwcTYoUoQxwO-eB7Dyfe4X5Npmk4Y

[mdelaguna]

1. K&r

[underpants]

2. Fascinating. Actual planning and performance testing.

What a novel idea.

[PCIntern]

3. Yeah but

don’t tell that orangina bottle in the WH, he will cancel it

[underpants]

4. That's exactly what I thought too

We have a vaccine.
Then give it to me and my children.
Sir, ok but we have a system for mass dispersion
Really? I was just going to tell you my genius idea.
Well sir, it was created....it was created by you.
It was? Then it must be the best.
Can we go ahead with your plan?
Yeah sure. Let me tweet about how smart I am.

[empedocles]

5. System in place, boots on the ground already.

[redstatebluegirl]

6. I have been leaving clorox wipes in a small ziplock bag in our mailbox for our

mail carrier off and on the past couple of weeks. She told me they were out of purell at her post office. I think her job is really dangerous right now and very important.

[needledriver]

7. This must be part of those terrible,

obsolete plans that poor Donald inherited.

How can he be expected to protect the American people with such ideas like this?