Love builds a ‘home’ for deliverymen

A deliveryman checks in at the reception desk of a hotel which offers freeing temporary accommodation to delivery workers in Shenzhen. China News Service

The city has provided comfortable lodging for its delivery workers, whose housing compounds were sealed off due to the latest round of lockdowns.

The lockdown has put most Shenzhen residents into a weeklong slow living, yet delivery workers are the exception.

As essential service providers, they have become vital arteries of the city of 17 million, keeping fresh meat, vegetables and other supplies flowing to those who need them.

Commitment to keeping the city running and worrying about being confined at home is why many of them slept in tents and on benches in parks.

After learning about these workers’ conditions, the Shenzhen government has rapidly responded by providing part of school buildings and emergency shelters, as well as organizing hotels and community service stations to accommodate these deliverymen.

As of now, 11 schools in Luohu’s 10 subdistricts including Shenzhen Cuiyin School, Hongling Primary School and Nanhu Primary School and a total of 23 hotels in Longgang, Nanshan and Luohu have provided places or free beds for food deliverymen to rest during the day or stay overnight.

Additionally, Bao’an District will open 10 schools in the district to offer resting places for food deliverymen in need.

With negative 24-hour nucleic acid test results, the riders can relax their exhausted bodies at a temporary “home,” most of which provides mats, blankets, water and water heaters.

Fu Xinlei, owner of Jinsheng Business Hotel in Longgang, told Shenzhen Daily, “Since I accepted an invitation from Fliggy Tourism platform (one of China’s online travel agencies) to provide free rooms for deliverymen, my mobile phone keeps ringing.”

The hotel, which has become a footrest for frontline workers, once again opened its arms to the deliverymen. “We housed more than 10 riders last night. The last one arrived at 2 a.m., who just finished his work. Their life isn’t easy. I want to do my best to lend a hand,” Fu said.

Liang Shaochi, a rider with Ele.me delivery platform, checked in at Youbo Hotel in Nanshan with his peer.

The young man told the reporter happily, “I took a good bath and got a good rest last night. The hotel reception, particularly the boss, welcomed us enthusiastically.”

After Liang checked out of the room early in the morning, the hotel cleaners were surprised to find the bedding had been folded and all trash had been thrown.

“I have been generously treated by the hotel. I don’t want to cause more inconvenience to them. It is just a lift of the finger to clean the room. I am very grateful for everything,” Liang explained.