Daily Post reports.For the first time postal workers will be collecting parcels on the doorstep – one of the biggest changes to the daily round since the postbox was launched in 1852.The new doorstep service, costing an extra 72p per item on top of normal postage costs, forms the Royal Mail’s response to the rapid growth in online shopping.Posties are also likely to face extra workloads this winter as fewer people deliver Christmas cards to their friends and colleagues by hand.And Royal Mail has ‘pioneered’ contact-free delivery - so anyone worried about spreading the virus might be able to relax.Covid-19 is not thought to persist for long on packages and, according to the Royal Mail – based on Public Health Authority guidance – there are.