(Yicai Global) June 13 -- Package deliveries in Shanghai have more than doubled from before the latest Covid-19 outbreak, as life in the city returns to normal after lockdown. Courier firms are back in business and gearing up for a major online shopping gala later this month.

Our station is delivering more than 60,000 parcels a day at the moment, compared with 25,000 at the end of March, said Shen Qiufeng, vice general manager at STO Express' branch in Meilong town, southern Minhang district. Deliveries connected to this year’s 618 shopping festival are 50 percent more than usual, he added.

Many couriers were unable to work during the two-month lockdown, leading to a huge backlog of parcels. Logistics giant SF Holding has said it will hire 1,000 more deliverymen to handle the pile up. And e-commerce giant JD.com transferred nearly 5,000 staff from other parts of the country to help out in Shanghai during the lockdown.

But operations are not what they used to be. Courier firms have to disinfect all packages and all staff must take daily Covid-19 tests, hiking their costs.

Some residential communities are also still not allowing deliverymen to enter the complexes. So many firms have set up stalls outside the gates for residents to collect their packages themselves. Each stall needs to be manned by a staff member, which is a drag on efficiency.

Residents search for their packages at a Shunfeng Express stall set up outside a residential community.

Packages stack up high at a JD.com stall near a residential complex.

Some parcels are delivered to drop-off stations run by Alibaba Group Holding’s Cainiao Yizhan. Nearby residents are notified by text to collect. Only around 20 percent of the packages delivered by STO Express’ Meilong branch go to such stations, Shen said.

Workers sort through parcels traveling along a conveyor belt. Automatic spraying equipment disinfects all the packages.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Kim Taylor