(Yicai Global) Feb. 20 -- Ayilaile, an online platform providing maid services in major Chinese cities operated by Beijing Coleclub Housekeeping Service, is undergoing a severe daily ordeal as its workers are unable to get back to work on time and demand for its services has slid amid the Covid-19 epidemic.

Between one-half to almost two-thirds of the company's customers want to cancel their contracts over virus transmission concerns, with those for live-in maternity maids who provide services to newborns and their mothers -- who per Chinese custom stay in bed for one month to recover from delivery -- face their greatest exposure, Zhou Yuanhong, founder and chief executive of Coleclub Housekeeping, told Yicai Global. Over 4,000 workers cannot return to cities because of local lockdowns. 

Formed in 200, the brand, whose name in Chinese means 'Auntie is coming,' has 90 branches in major Chinese cities and has 230,000 contracted housekeeping workers, 7 percent of whom come from coronavirus ground zero Hubei province. The company's business had been on an upward trajectory over the last year, earning nearly CNY100 million (USD14.26 million) in commissions based on a CNY1.2 billion (USD170.9 million) service output, 

Huge drops in both supply and demand side are the biggest problems facing the company, Zhou said, adding "An annual drop of between 60 percent to 70 percent has emerged in both supply and demand."

The clamor for housekeeping services generally peaks after the Spring Festival holiday, but, "because of the epidemic, more than 4,500 female contract workers have not yet come back to work. If the epidemic lasts for three months, we expect our monetary loss to top CNY18 million (USD2.6 million)," Zhou said.

The company started emergency plan brainstorming and quickly arrived at a slew of decisions, including temporary closure of all China branches, granting employees in the Beijing headquarters annual leave or letting them work from home and instituting a policy of 14-day quarantine for returning staff, to proactively instill customer trust.

Preparations for two to three months are now in place, Zhou said. The online labor intermediary plans to transform suitable dormitories to shield workers from areas that are not severely impacted by the virus, with the expenses thereby incurred shared between it, the contract worker and the customer. 

Coleclub Housekeeping is also offering online courses to its brokers, senior housekeeping agents and women workers for their self-improvement, and to provide employees in difficulties with an opportunity to upgrade their knowledge and skills, said the company, which declares its commitment to bettering the lot of its workforce and proudly claims to have lifted thousands from crushing rural poverty.

Editor: Tang Shihua, Ben Armour