Delivery workers sort parcels at an SF Express station in Beijing on Monday. Some delivery companies have recruited people from outside the capital to ease the backlog triggered by a shortage of couriers at work and an increasing number of packages. (Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/China Daily)
After initial spike in cases, parcels back moving at standard pace in Beijing
Parcel delivery in Beijing largely returned to normal on Monday as drivers struck by Omicron-fueled COVID-19 outbreaks recovered and returned to their posts.
Thousands of them had also been borrowed from regions less affected by the virus to help clear a backlog of deliveries in the city of 21 million, logistics companies said.
The parcel pileup came in the wake of the annual "Double 12"e-commerce shopping festival.
The authorities' decision to lift restrictions on buying fever, cold and anti-inflammatory drugs this month had also led to a surge of online orders as COVID patients exhibiting mild symptoms were allowed to recover at home.
All parcels sitting around for more than three days have been cleared, said Ma Wei, who oversees logistics in Beijing at e-commerce company JD.
"The 'arrival the next day' service will gradually resume this week," he said.
Ma said around 2,000 delivery drivers had been dispatched to Beijing over the past week to replenish its courier workforce after hundreds of their Beijing counterparts fell ill and asked for sick leave. The company normally has around 15,000 delivery staff in Beijing.
Yao Hongxu, deputy general manager of SF Express' Beijing division, said the parcel delivery company was past the worst, when Omicron knocked out half of his 18,000-member fleet.
To bridge the shortfall, the company borrowed 500 couriers from out of town, and arranged another 500 employees from nondelivery posts to fill the vacancies.
Now, around 16,000 couriers crisscross Beijing, bouncing back to almost the normal level.
"Luckily, we are past the 'Double 12' delivery peak, but another peak season is just around the corner-Spring Festival," he said.
Yao explained that many delivery drivers hadn't returned home for the Chinese New Year for three years due to COVID containment measures.
Now that the authorities have cut many requirements for testing and quarantine, many are planning family reunions.
"We'll try our best to encourage our couriers to join us in handling the peak delivery season and arrange for holidays afterward," he said.
Both companies said their couriers are working longer hours and are contacting customers if they wish their parcels be delivered at night.
Yao said, "I do wish that people can be more understanding, caring and loving toward the hardworking delivery guys."
Li Haijiao, 34, was among a few couriers borrowed from Bayannuur, Inner Mongolia. He arrived on Thursday and has since settled down in a double room at a hotel with another colleague.
"The job in Beijing is actually easier than back home," he said.
"People in Beijing live in clusters, unlike in my hometown where a small population is scattered across a large area. That means we have to travel far to get things delivered."
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