Press representative for the Estonian national mail carrier Mattias Kaiv told ERR that Omniva does not yet know why Estonia was put on USPS' service disruption list. Kaiv added that Omniva has sent USPS a request for clarification.

"Letters and parcels are moving, but the volumes are greatly reduced compared to before the crisis. It also needs to be kept in mind that international delivery times are longer than usual due to the effects of COVID-19 and greatly reduced air traffic," Kaiv said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu said that such a decision by USPS is in no way justified.

"I have asked our officials to quickly get to the bottom of the circumstances that warranted this decision before we unequivocally challenge it! Ensuring various links is necessary and has a perceived significance as well as a practical one," Reinsalu said.

"Due to the COVID-19 virus, mail and small parcel operations are disrupted worldwide. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is currently not accepting shipments to the following countries," USPS said on its website, listing 111 countries, including Estonia, that the disruption concerns. Estonia is the only European Union country listed. USPS did not specify how long the restrictions would remain in effect.

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