Shanghai’s attempts to jumpstart its locked-down economy are faltering

Even as it fences off apartment buildings to keep residents in, Shanghai has been easing restrictions on businesses to restart the city’s economy after weeks of lockdown.

So far it’s been slow going, though, with companies struggling even with the most basic tasks, like food deliveries. Alibaba’s supermarket chain Freshippo said Sunday its delivery capacity is back to about 60 to 70% of pre-outbreak levels, as more couriers were allowed back on the roads, Reuters reported. But that’s well short of what it needs to cover a two to threefold increase in orders as holed-up residents desperately try to procure groceries.

While food apps and online stores like Freshippo kept Chinese families well stocked earlier in the pandemic, the Shanghai lockdown has overwhelmed delivery services. One courier told Shanghai Daily he often delivers 150 takeout orders a day, working until 1am.

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