Disinfection ramped up in parcel delivery industry

China's parcel delivery industry has carried out strict management and disinfection to curb the risk of the spread of COVID-19 in response to recent cluster infections across the country.

The State Post Bureau of China, the parcel delivery industry's regulator, held a news conference recently to set out the industry's epidemic control work.

Ma Junsheng, head of the bureau, has required its market inspection department, its Beijing post bureau and Yunda Express, the parcel delivery company involved in the latest cluster of infections in the capital, to look into the recent cases in Beijing and cut the chain of transmission.

He also asked the industry to examine loopholes in epidemic control.

In the recent outbreak in Beijing, at least 21 cases have been identified in an express delivery cluster in Fangshan district.

Last month, more than 200 cases were linked to a parcel delivery company in Shanxi province.

In March, over 50 cases were identified to a parcel delivery company's distribution hub in Zhejiang province.

Beijing has required all parcels entering the capital to be disinfected at least three times, according to a regulation released by Beijing post bureau last week.

ZTO Express, a parcel delivery company, said it conducts three rounds of disinfection before sending parcels to customers in Beijing — at distribution centers, parcel stations and by couriers.

At distribution centers, each parcel is disinfected on conveyor belts.

At parcel stations, workers disinfect vehicles sending out parcels. In addition, three disinfections are carried out each day at the stations in the morning, noon and evening.

"We strictly carry out disinfection for couriers, vehicles, cargo and at hubs and stations. We offer sufficient protective materials to protect couriers in the best way, such as N95 facial masks, gloves and disinfection hand gel," said Ye Changlin, who is in charge of the ZTO Express parcel station in Zhongguancun, Beijing.

In the capital, couriers are required to carry out nucleic acid tests every day.

For international parcels, policies are even tighter.

Since January, China has tightened its international parcel policies after some cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 were linked to deliveries from overseas.

China Post, the State-owned parcel delivery and mailing company, conducts closed-loop management when receiving international parcels and mail, setting up separate zones for placing the items and disinfection.

After inspection, the company requires most packages to be kept for at least four days prior to delivery.

SF Express, a parcel delivery company, said it complies with pandemic control measures introduced by authorities at airports and customs administrations, including disinfecting parcel delivery stations, transfer hubs, storage areas and vehicles.

It disinfects vehicles, parcels, equipment and the grounds of its yards twice a day.

At a news conference last month, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, suggested recipients disinfect their parcels before opening them.

He noted that though the risk is small in terms of human infections from the surface of goods, the risk will increase if recipients touch the goods repeatedly without being aware of personal hygiene.

According to the State Post Bureau of China, the country handled 31.7 billion parcels in the first four months of the year, a year-on-year increase of 4.2 percent.