(Yicai Global) Feb. 12 -- In the face of the novel coronavirus epidemic, orders placed with Shanghai's online fresh food retailers jumped 50 percent from last year, with a daily average of 500,000, the Shanghai Commerce Commission said.

The commission has been actively supporting these companies by increasing the supply of fresh food, Liu Min, deputy director of the commission, told a press conference today. The online platforms replenish their stock on average seven or eight times a day, Liu added.

Liu said that in response to a tight employment situation at online firms due to the deadly virus outbreak, the commission has encouraged employee sharing between key e-commerce platforms and catering companies. At present, the number of staff shared by the platforms and restaurant operators has reached 1,500.

At the same time, the commission has also been actively promoting new preferential policies issued by the Shanghai government to benefit foreign-invested companies. According to Liu, Shanghai has submitted a list of more than 140 foreign-funded firms to the central bank's Shanghai branch to enable them to take advantage of these policies.

The daily volume of vegetables sold in Shanghai has reached about 3,000 tons, which can meet market requirements. Prices of green leafy vegetables have fallen back to level off, said Ye Junping, deputy director of the Shanghai Committee of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Shanghai has also cultivated 2,000 hectares of green leafy vegetables, Ye said, adding that the annual increase in the yield per hectare exceeds 10 percent.

Speaking at the same press conference, the city's postal authorities said that Shanghai requires all parcels delivered from other regions to be disinfected.

All employees in the delivery sector should take their temperature before starting work, and they should only be on duty if it's in the normal range, said Yu Hongwei, deputy head at the Shanghai Municipal Postal Administration. Staff should also wear masks properly and disinfect all appliances and other items during work.

Editor: Peter Thomas