Japan Post says 170 post offices across the country are closed as of Tuesday because workers have been infected with the coronavirus, or have been designated as close contacts.

The firm says the number of shuttered locations has been rising since mid-July, and most of them are small post offices with few staff members. It says many of them have suspended their over-the-counter services as well as automated teller machines, and it is still unknown when they will resume.

Japan Post says when workers get infected, it has been sending staff from nearby post offices, but it has become unable to continue doing so in some cases. On the other hand, the company says postal deliveries are not affected and it is calling on customers to use other nearby post offices.