Local delivery companies returning to full strength
A worker disinfects a ZTO Express transfer center.
Courier companies in Qingpu District are gradually resuming services disrupted by the COVID-19 resurgence, as the city has started issuing traffic permits for the delivery of important supplies.
The district is home to China's express delivery giants such as Deppon, SF Express, YTO, ZTO Express, STO and Yunda.
About 1,000 ZTO deliverymen have returned to their posts, and around 50 percent of its delivery stations authorized to deliver important supplies have resumed operations.
Express delivery workers must follow strict nucleic acid test and antigen self-test requirements.
At a ZTO transfer center in Fengxian District, the automatic sorting line recently resumed operations, and more than 80 workers are sorting and loading parcels to be delivered to residential complexes near the center.
"Since the COVID-19 resurgence, we are overstocked with 30,000 to 40,000 parcels, and we have resumed the capacity to deliver more than 10,000 parcels daily, or 60 to 70 percent of the level before the resurgence," said Wu Qiang, head of the center. "Our delivery workers sleep at the center, and non-contact delivery methods are applied."
A deliveryman handles a package set for delivery.
He said the center has prepared a large amount of pandemic prevention items, such as N95 masks and latex gloves, and is carrying out strict disinfections for safe deliveries.
ZTO officials said the company is optimizing delivery routes and scientifically allocating resources to cope with the growing number of deliveries.
The Shanghai distribution center of YTO Express in Qingpu is also getting back to full strength.
Every parcel is thoroughly disinfected prior to being sorted. 24 hours later, the parcels are delivered to cities around the country from plants, e-commerce platforms and small-and-medium-sized firms in the city.
The center has separate working and accommodation areas to prevent unnecessary contact.
"We handle about 60,000 parcels daily, and the number is climbing day by day," said Zhao Yijian, head of the center. "We work until 2am every night trying to return to full capacity."
On Monday, the district government released 22 measures to help businesses resume production and operations. These include incentives that reward companies with no new COVID-19 cases after operations resume; green channels for the supply of prevention items; accommodation facilities; subsidies for the convention and exhibition industry – a high-priority industry for the district; and rent relief for some small and individual businesses.
