Shanghai commerce businesses resuming operation as epidemic eases

Customers line up to receive body temperature check before entering a shopping mall on the Nanjing Road in east China's Shanghai, Feb. 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Chen Fei)

Currently, 91.4 percent of convenience stores in Shanghai have reopened. All major e-commerce companies and agricultural product wholesale markets have resumed operation, and 97.8 percent of food markets has reopened.

SHANGHAI, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai is seeing acceleration in work resumption amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, with nearly 100 percent supermarkets and about 95 percent shopping malls having resumed business, local authorities said Saturday.

Currently, 91.4 percent of convenience stores in Shanghai have reopened. All major e-commerce companies and agricultural product wholesale markets have resumed operation, and 97.8 percent of food markets has reopened, said Liu Min, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.

Liu said Shanghai's food market has ample supply and abundant varieties.

Shanghai is fully supporting the retail businesses and e-commerce platforms with green transportation channels and financial support, according to Liu.

Shanghai is also actively promoting the resumption of other consumer services, including housekeeping service, catering service, and barbershops.

Restaurants that meet the epidemic prevention conditions can resume providing dine-in service, and a list of beauty and hair salons will be allowed to resume operation in the near future, Liu said.

Pu Jingbo, vice president of Bailian Group, a Chinese commerce and trade giant based in Shanghai, said 95 percent of Bailian's subsidiaries and stores have resumed business.

The company is promoting e-payment solutions and delivery services to reduce potential cross-infection and encouraging some shop owners to turn to live streaming services to reduce the impact of the epidemic, said Pu.