Delivery sector steadily getting back to normal

Labor shortage due to lockdowns still major problem as operations resume

China aims to restore normal delivery capacity in the courier sector by mid-March in regions outside of Hubei province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, the State Post Bureau said on Monday.

Hou Yanbo, deputy director of the bureau's market monitoring division, said more than 80 percent of the courier sector's capacity has resumed, with almost 3 million-or 92.5 percent of all deliverymen in the country-handling 160 million parcels daily.

The courier sector has also handled 173 million parcels of epidemic prevention and control equipment as of Sunday, with 24,000 delivery trucks and 350 freight trains and flights being dispatched, Hou said at a news conference.

In addition to the current unbalanced resumption of the delivery network, the bureau is working to coordinate the upstream and downstream enterprises along the delivery industry chain, he said.

Hou also said that the bureau will ramp up support to facilitate the operation of small and micro courier firms and strengthen epidemic prevention and control measures to ensure the safety of the deliverymen.

The country's courier sector began to resume services as early as Feb 7 after an extended Spring Festival holiday due to the outbreak, he said.

Many local governments have supported the courier sector's work resumption, Hou said, adding that 13 provinces have issued policies prioritizing work resumption at courier enterprises; 16 provinces have created favorable conditions for couriers to deliver parcels at communities; and three provinces have arranged "point-to-point" vehicles to help migrant couriers return to cities to work.

Han Ruilin, deputy head of China Express Association, said the major problem facing delivery enterprises is the labor shortage, since many deliverymen are stuck in virus-hit areas and can't return to work.

The courier firms also lack epidemic prevention equipment and have difficulty purchasing it, he said.

Their operating costs have also risen significantly during the epidemic due to the increased costs of transportation and labor, he said.

Li Jie, a courier at ZTO Express Beijing branch, said he also wants to contribute to fighting the epidemic by delivering parcels to clients quickly and safely.

The biggest obstacle for his job now is that some communities have prevented couriers from entering, which means he is delivering fewer parcels than before, he said.

"An elderly woman handed me two masks when I delivered a parcel to her and told me to take good care of myself," Li said, "I was deeply moved by her nice gesture, and I am determined to continue doing a good job, regardless of the difficulties."