Couriers, delivery workers return to work in Shijiazhuang in N China's Hebei

Couriers and other delivery personnel in Shijiazhuang, North China's Hebei province, have been allowed to resume work on Sunday amid an ongoing lockdown induced by the recent COVID-19 outbreak in the provincial capital.

It is part of a broader effort by local authorities to ensure residents' basic supplies in the era of online shopping.

Though some living closer to hot spots failed to return to their posts, people within the industry said there are enough personnel to cope with the work on hand.

Zhao Qi, head of a logistics station north of Shijiazhuang that handles packages from JD.com, an e-commerce behemoth, said 20 of its 30 delivery persons have resumed work after finishing two rounds of nucleic acid testing for COVID-19.

"The other 10 failed to return because they live in regions labeled as highly risky," he said. "They are still sequestered at home."

However, the effect of a shortage of hands has been canceled out by a decline in the number of packages, said Zhao, 29.

The decrease in the workload is partly because packages sent in from out of town have slowed to a trickle due to the city's tightened anti-epidemic measures, he added.

Li Qing, a former car salesman who joined the ranks of couriers two months ago, said he was a bit worried when told to stop working and quarantine at home late on Tuesday.

Li, the father of an 8-year-old daughter, said he had feared the recent lockdown would rob him of his new-found job, but was relieved to hear he could resume work only four days later.

"The epidemic has caused hardship to my work, but I am working to find a way out," he said.

Lyu Yue, a colleague of Li's, hailed the local government's move to allow couriers and other delivery personnel to resume work while other nonessential workers remain sequestered at home.

"To restore courier service is to restart people's livelihood," he said. "Making orders online has been an essential part of life for ordinary people."

Ma Yujun, the city's acting mayor, said at a news conference on Saturday that more than 25,000 couriers had been tested twice since Jan 5, and those testing negative for the virus would be allowed to resume work.