Extra staff ensure food deliveries in locked-down areas
Delivery workers in protective gear are upbeat.
Logistics companies and online grocery stores are adding staff in locked-down areas after new directives from government authorities to maximize delivery capacity.
Alibaba's affiliates including Ele.me, Freshippo, Cainiao and RT Mart have mobilized staff from out of the city, and also allowed local workers to fulfill online demands following government instructions.
Government authorities have demanded nucleic acid tests and antigen tests for delivery staff every 24 hours in order to restore market supply as soon as possible.
The city yesterday added 1,096 local staff and 2,000 additional workers from out of town, according to Shanghai Commerce Commission Director Gu Jun.
Eligible dispatch centers and warehouse are restoring operations step by step.
Ele.me has added about 1,500 riders over the the past week and some 300 Freshippo staff has gained approval from locked-down communities in the city to return to work to cater for demand.
The first batch of about 2,000 JD delivery staff are also back to work in the city for frontline service and delivery.
About two dozen Dingdong Maicai dispatch centers also went back online to serve nearby neighborhoods.
A worker prepares food packages.
JD Health has handled 24,000 requests since an emergency medicine delivery service went online last week.
Dada Group started to offer group purchases of food packages in the Pudong New Area for a minimum of 20 in each compound.
But some were worried that the delivery date would be postponed due to a shortage of staff, when usually hundreds of thousands of staff handle food takeaway and delivery packages citywide.
Ji Jun who lives in Huangpu District said his JD deliveries which were scheduled for next Thursday were postponed to the weekend. He has had to to wait for deliveries to be gradually restored.
