Shanghai rises to the challenge as delivery demands increase

E-commerce enterprises in Shanghai are increasing stocks and expanding their courier teams to address residents' demand of daily necessities in lockdown during the current COVID-19 wave.

Forty-two warehouses and 779 pre-positioned warehouses of local e-commerce enterprises have resumed business so far, according to Liu Min, deputy director of the Municipal Commerce Commission.

Over 18,000 couriers are eligible to resume work in the city, delivering about 1.8 million orders of essential supplies in total to residents every day.

E-commerce platforms have been replenishing stocks and allocating sources of supplies from other cities. For example, the city has fostered a cross-region circulation of daily necessities with Kunshan, Jiangsu province.

As of Friday, 1,011 supermarkets and stores have resumed business and enhanced the efficiency of goods collection and distribution.

French retail corporation Carrefour, in cooperation with Shanghai Dazhong Logistics, has added some 40 minivans to smooth the delivery process, while serving over 300 communities. The average volume of daily orders at the company has increased by 38 percent, compared with the past several days.

Transit stations for daily necessities under closed-loop management and contactless transition have been established in Pinghu in Zhejiang province, Kunshan in Jiangsu province, and Shanghai Xijiao International Wholesale Market, Liu said at a news briefing on Saturday.

"The city will strengthen the health monitoring of personnel in charge of delivering necessities who are required to take antigen tests three times and nucleic acid test once every two days. Priority will be given to them in nucleic acid testing services," she added.