A new wave of COVID-19 pandemic infections has emerged in Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital of Hebei Province, at the beginning of 2020. Local government announced that from January 6 traffic control measures would be implemented across 10 highways connecting Shijiazhuang with Beijing and other bordering provinces, with the city placed in a de facto state of lockdown the next day.
But, connecting highways passing through Shijiazhuang city are critical arteries for the delivery of goods into Beijing, and as a result the lockdown of the city, has disrupted logistics firms.
An anonymous delivery courier told the Global Times that delivery services are now being suspended in some high risk areas, middle and low areas can still process the parcel dispatch, collection and transfer services.
"The parcels sent to Beijing are usually transferred in Langfang city, Hebei province," said the courier. She noted that according to the new regulation of her company, the delivery services in Shijiazhuang, Dingzhou and Xingtai now are suspended, and the business in other cities in Hebei are not disrupted yet.
"If there are emergency parcels which must pass through these three cities, they will be disinfected and handled by special transfer stations, and then send to Beijing," said the courier.
The transportation of food to Beijing is also affected by the stricter traffic control measures. Cao Fuquan, a tomato trader in Beijing's Xinfadi wholesale food market told the Global Times that vegetable prices in the market have jumped significantly due to the emergency traffic control measure enforced in Heibei Province.
"Our cargo and trucks must be disinfected before loading, drivers must hold negative proof of nucleic acid test within 72 hours to carry goods pass Hebei to Beijing, even if our goods are not dispatched from Hebei Province" said Yao Wanhu, a potato trader in Beijing's Xinfadi market reached by the Global Times.
Yao noted that his company can deliver around 30 tons of potatoes to Xinfadi food market each day recently and that vegetable prices in Xinfadi food market are gradually returning to normal levels.
But, connecting highways passing through Shijiazhuang city are critical arteries for the delivery of goods into Beijing, and as a result the lockdown of the city, has disrupted logistics firms.
An anonymous delivery courier told the Global Times that delivery services are now being suspended in some high risk areas, middle and low areas can still process the parcel dispatch, collection and transfer services.
"The parcels sent to Beijing are usually transferred in Langfang city, Hebei province," said the courier. She noted that according to the new regulation of her company, the delivery services in Shijiazhuang, Dingzhou and Xingtai now are suspended, and the business in other cities in Hebei are not disrupted yet.
"If there are emergency parcels which must pass through these three cities, they will be disinfected and handled by special transfer stations, and then send to Beijing," said the courier.
The transportation of food to Beijing is also affected by the stricter traffic control measures. Cao Fuquan, a tomato trader in Beijing's Xinfadi wholesale food market told the Global Times that vegetable prices in the market have jumped significantly due to the emergency traffic control measure enforced in Heibei Province.
"Our cargo and trucks must be disinfected before loading, drivers must hold negative proof of nucleic acid test within 72 hours to carry goods pass Hebei to Beijing, even if our goods are not dispatched from Hebei Province" said Yao Wanhu, a potato trader in Beijing's Xinfadi market reached by the Global Times.
Yao noted that his company can deliver around 30 tons of potatoes to Xinfadi food market each day recently and that vegetable prices in Xinfadi food market are gradually returning to normal levels.
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