Delivery logistics stepped up to battle virus

A State Post Bureau official said companies including the State-owned China Post, logistics giant SF Express and e-commerce platform JD.com have all adapted to ensure people's demands are met across the country during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

Thirteen such firms have opened "green passages" for relief materials, said Hou Yanbo, deputy director of the bureau's market monitoring division, on Thursday.

Figures provided by Hou showed 81.25 million packages were sent between Jan 24 and 29 nationally, a 76.6 percent increase year-on-year. Some 78.17 million packages have been delivered during the period, a 110.34 percent increase year-on-year.

Hou said the State Post Bureau has made efforts to reduce the number of package stopovers in Wuhan, the locked-down capital city of Hubei province, to step up disinfection of vehicles and packages and to encourage using smart collectors instead of delivering door-to-door to avoid contact.

Hou said there's no need to worry contaminated packages could infect recipients, as they have stepped up disinfection and banned delivery of wildlife. But he noted hand-washing is essential after getting packages.

Hou also pleaded with buyers in Wuhan not to shop for nonessential goods online to relieve the strain felt by logistics companies, which have raced over the past week to deliver surgical masks and other materials in short supply in the city.

Hou said the move was part of a larger effort to centralize the nation's delivery capacity to address shortage of key material in outbreak-stricken areas.

"Residential communities with smart delivery collectors should try to make it easier for delivery workers during the outbreak, so they could have more rest," he said.

Normally, the Spring Festival holiday is the low season for the delivery and post sector in China, as it was the only time for deliverymen to travel home for reunions. But this year, many of them in Hubei province have given up their valuable vacations and continued working to deliver daily necessities and much-needed materials, including surgical masks, antiviral drugs and disinfection products, to affected regions.