RELATED: UPS and FedEx Are Banning These Deliveries, Effective Immediately. UPS has put a halt to some of its operations in two southern Chinese cities, Reuters reported on March 16. According to the news outlet, the company has suspended all pickup, delivery, and self-pickup services in Shenzhen and Dongguan after both cities imposed strict restrictions to curb the spread of COVID. Restrictions are being thrown back into place as China is facing its worst COVID outbreak since early 2020, The New York Times reported. According to the newspaper, cases increased to more than 5,000 new daily infections nationwide on March 15. And while that is still lower than in many other countries, China has imposed a zero-tolerance approach to outbreaks that calls for strict lockdowns, mass testing, and government-facility quarantines. But it’s not just Shenzhen and Dongguan, which are both cities in the Guangdong Province. According to Reuters, multiple Chinese provinces have tightened their COVID restrictions in the recent days. As a result, UPS has also started holding imported shipments in provinces such as Fujian and Jiangsu for longer than usual. The company said it will set aside these imports for a specific number of days to sanitize. The transit time for shipments may be extended and packages could be delayed because of this, UPS warned. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. “Shenzhen now has pressed the pause key, with operations halted for almost all sectors, and we are no exception,” Wang said in a March 14 interview, adding that recently sent deliveries have also been impacted because logistics firms and warehouses are either not operating or doing so at a reduced capacity. UPS is not the only shipping company planning changes as a result of the new lockdowns and restrictions in China. FedEx is also having to make adjustments to its network, the shipping company told Reuters in an email statement on March 16. But it has not yet detailed what those changes are.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb UPS and FedEx have been working in tandem recently: On Feb. 27, both companies released statements announcing that they would be suspending all deliveries into Russia in light of the country’s continuing invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported at the time. UPS and FedEx have also both chosen to suspend inbound and outbound delivery services in Ukraine due to the increase in military activity in the country. RELATED: USPS Just Made This Major Change to Deliveries, Effective Immediately.
