Delivery drivers a lifeline for isolated residents

Pan Guozhen, comes from Jiangxi province. The 33-year-old, who has lived in Wuhan for three years, is director of an online retailer's delivery station.

Since the coronavirus outbreak became severe on Jan 20, our work has become more difficult every day as a result of the rising number of packages and a shortage of delivery personnel. However, the mental stress we feel is more severe than the physical strain.

The virus is an unknown thing for me, and it's invisible. During the first few days I didn't know what the situation was. I only knew that Wuhan was the epicenter of this epidemic, so I was scared. After all, I had gone out and taken buses and the metro, and my job requires me to carry packages to customers' homes, meaning I had contact with lots of people every day.

There are usually 16 deliverymen at my station, but some had returned home to celebrate the Chinese New Year holiday. Since the outbreak started, we have only had seven personnel on duty, including me. Normally, as the director, I don't need to deliver goods myself, but now I have to help share the workload.

We send out about 400 packages every day. That's not a huge number, but the area we cover is large. What is even worse for our nerves is that we don't see a single person or car on the streets－the only vehicles we see are ambulances.

I feel more appreciated than before, though. One customer bought a box of face masks and when I delivered it to him, he said: "Thank you. This box of masks is for you. I already have enough, but I know you face greater danger having to roam outside every day. You don't need to pay me. Thank you for insisting on delivering items during the Lunar New Year holiday." I felt so touched and warm at that moment.

Another time, I delivered a package to a customer in a hotel. His first reaction when he received my phone call was: "Wow! You are still making deliveries! I thought my package would never reach me." He said he worked at the hotel, but due to the epidemic, it had been placed in isolation so he hadn't gone out for a long time. He kept thanking me. Seeing his happy face, I felt that I was doing something very meaningful.

Everyone is panicking and no one dares go outside. Delivery personnel like me are needed more at times like these. All the streets are empty, all the buses have stopped running and all the communities are locked. That means residents can't drive, they can only walk, so they rely heavily on e-commerce platforms. If we stopped our service now, they would feel more anxious.

The customers' understanding is my motivation for continuing. It is at this crucial moment that I find many people need me to persevere. I don't want their hopes to turn to disappointment.

I also feel very sad sometimes. One time, I delivered a package of mineral water on a rainy day. The package was soaked by the rain because my three-wheeler is not waterproof. When I brought it to the customer's home, he told me he didn't want it anymore, and said the package was contaminated and might contain the virus.

It has become increasingly common for customers to ask us to leave their packages in corridors or express cabinets. One day, after I put a package in front of a customer's door, I saw them open the door with a bottle of disinfectant in their hand and only take the package after sterilizing it.

The epidemic is making the distance between us greater. Now, there is always a "door" between me and my customers.