Profile: Unsung heroes aiding Shanghai's epidemic fight

XI'AN, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Upon learning that couriers are needed to assist Shanghai, Qi Shuailong, a delivery man with e-commerce giant JD.com in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, volunteered to lend a helping hand without hesitation.

China's economic and financial hub Shanghai is battling a resurgence of COVID-19 infections, with the city reporting 1,401 confirmed locally transmitted cases and 19,657 local asymptomatic carriers on Saturday, according to the municipal health commission.

With temporary closed-loop management in place to stem the spread of infections, residents had to grapple with difficulties in purchasing groceries, which in turn strained local couriers due to a surge in online orders.

To ease the burden, JD.com has dispatched over 3,000 delivery workers from across the country to Shanghai in recent days, and Qi is one of them.

The 36-year-old courier, together with about 200 other delivery personnel from different provinces and regions including Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and Xinjiang, rushed to Shanghai to help with packaging and timely delivery of basic necessities to the locals.

Their arduous working day typically begins at 6:30 a.m. and ends at 9 p.m. "Each delivery person handles around 200 parcels every day and the majority of goods are basic necessities like rice, flour and milk," Qi told Xinhua via a video link.

Due to the stringent anti-epidemic restrictions, couriers are forbidden from in-person delivery of parcels as before. Instead, they need to write down the customer name, room number, or building number on parcels which would be passed on to customers by community workers.

"Some residents have noticed that our phone numbers are from other cities, and they sent messages to express their gratitude for our assistance," said Qi, noting that the kind gestures have greatly encouraged them.

These couriers have gone to extraordinary lengths to aid in the epidemic fight. The day Qi left Xi'an for Shanghai, his 3-year-old son underwent eye surgery. "As an ordinary logistics worker, I have volunteered to do my part," Qi said.

Online food delivery platforms Meituan and Eleme have also joined hands with the city authorities to provide daily necessities for the residents. Driverless vehicles have been deployed in communities, hospitals and schools to ensure contactless delivery of necessary goods.

"The number of parcels delivered in recent days has been stabilized with a momentum of growth," Bian Zuodong, a senior official with the State Post Bureau, told a press conference on Tuesday, adding that more efforts will be made to ensure the last kilometer delivery of daily necessities and emergency supplies.