(File photo: CFP)
With the number of parcels to be delivered expected to soar as people are encouraged stay put for the Spring Festival holidays to avoid spread of the coronavirus, couriers are releasing measures to ensure normal express delivery.
Alibaba's logistics arm Cainiao told the Global Times on Monday that it would work with its cooperation partners such as ZTO Express, STO Express and YTO Express to ensure that e-commerce parcels are smoothly delivered in over 200 cities across China between February 4 and 19 - a period that covers the Spring Festival holiday.
Cainiao's major domestic warehouses will keep running to guarantee the delivery of daily necessities like staple food and edible oil, and at least 55 import warehouses will remain in operation to ensure consumers can receive imported products during the Spring Festival.
The company said that it will offer subsidies worth over 200 million yuan ($30.8 million) to delivery staff who stay on the job.
The swift response came after the Ministry of Commerce announced on Friday that the country will hold an online New Year's Shopping Festival, which will last for 30 days starting on Wednesday.
Bian Zuodong, an official with the State Post Bureau, said at a press conference for the event on Friday that the volume of parcels is expected to post a "relatively big" growth rate during the Spring Festival holiday this year, adding that the bureau has asked couriers to balance pandemic prevention with guaranteeing people's livelihoods.
As many deliverymen prefer to return to their hometowns or have a rest to celebrate the holiday, JD-backed on-demand delivery platform Dada Group said it has rolled out measures like offering subsidies and recruiting new deliverymen to expand its delivery force. It has prepared supplies such as masks and disinfectants, and established an emergency response mechanism.
In areas that have many COVID-19 cases, BEST Inc told the Global Times that it will stock up on goods based on cooperation with merchants and deploy goods into warehouses in advance.
The company's express business will provide incentives and bonuses to last-mile delivery outlets and sorting operators, while its freight business will give up to 1,000 yuan cash rewards to staff who continue to work at freight sorting centers.
ZTO Express said that over 60,000 of its express deliverymen will be at work at 10,000 grassroots outlets, along with 5,000 delivery vehicles and 10,000 drivers in over 300 cities across the country during the Spring Festival holiday.
A worker surnamed Liu at a ZTO Express delivery outlet in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province, told the Global Times on Monday that the station has received a notice to operate as normal during the Spring Festival.
Liu said that all of his colleagues have decided to stay in Yiwu with expectations of more business.
"I plan to buy a new mini-van at cost of about 100,000 yuan this week to prepare," he said, noting that he could probably make an extra 5,000-10,000 yuan.
Yiwu on Monday announced incentives to encourage express delivery outlets and other businesses to stay open during the holiday.
Express delivery sites can apply for subsidies of 25 yuan per square meter, with at least 2,000 yuan each, according to a document on Yiwu Fabu, its official social media account.