Beijing working to replenish courier team amid COVID-19 control

BEIJING -- Beijing authorities said on Monday that the city is working to relieve the strain on courier delivery services after some couriers were confined at home due to COVID-19 control.

The city government apologized to residents for delayed deliveries and their imperfect experience of online shopping despite sufficient supplies and stable prices on e-commerce platforms, said Guo Wenjie, vice head of the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau.

The city has seen an increase of 10-20 percent in daily online orders as more residents observe home quarantine measures. Meanwhile, nearly 30 percent of couriers face restrictions at work as their residences are under closed-off management, Guo told a press conference.

In response, the city government is encouraging companies to hire more couriers while expanding the "white list" of couriers from 5,000 to 40,000 people over the past two weeks, said the official.

Officials told Xinhua that couriers on the "white list" enjoy fewer restrictions in movement and are allowed to deliver to closed-off residential complexes. They must receive daily nucleic acid tests and wear N95 masks while working.

Chinese cities have stepped up support to residents and businesses amid the latest round of COVID-19 control. Beijing officials said they have directed major e-commerce companies to stock up with three to five times the usual level of supplies so as to stabilize prices.

Beijing reported 840 local confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 3,048 local asymptomatic cases on Sunday, compared with 747 and 3,560 on Saturday.