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Canadians isolating at home during the COVID-19 pandemic are shopping online in volumes normally only seen during the Christmas season.

On April 20 alone, Canada Post reports it delivered more than 1.8 million parcels around the country.

“That’s similar to the biggest delivery days we see during the Christmas season,” the postal service said in a press release.

Canada Post said volume isn’t the only thing causing deliveries to be delayed. Increased safety measures at sorting facilities are also adding to the time it takes for all items to be processed.

“Those measures include physical distancing in facilities that were never designed for keeping people two metres apart.”

When delivering parcels to homes, Canada Post said carriers are knocking on doors or ringing doorbells and then leaving the items on doorsteps or other areas.

“This change eliminates the need for signatures at the door, speeds up delivery and has greatly reduced the number of parcels sent to our post offices for pickup,” Canada Post said.

The service is advising Canadians to expect delays for all deliveries.

ecrawford@biv.com