BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Food delivery is in high demand in China as people try to avoid human contact amid a fight against the raging novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, and the service is also evolving to reduce contagion risks.
Chinese online food delivery platforms like Meituan Dianping have rolled out a "non-contact delivery" service in Wuhan, the center of the epidemic, as well as in other cities to meet the special demands.
Users can receive their food without any face-to-face contact as the deliverymen will put the order in a self-collection container or a pre-determined place.
Such service innovations are part of the business community's efforts to lend a hand to the country's fight against the epidemic, along with monetary contributions and technical support.
Corporate donations are mushrooming across the country to ensure the supply of medical provisions, protective gear and daily necessities, and to support the research and development of related drugs and vaccines.
Incomplete data showed that private firms had donated over 5 billion yuan (about 720.8 million U.S. dollars) in cash and in-kind to aid the epidemic control by the afternoon of Jan. 29.
Besides money, many firms are leveraging their technology and platform strengths to boost the campaign's efficiency.
Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo has decided to offer all IT equipment necessary for the two makeshift hospitals in Wuhan. Telecom giants including Huawei are setting up telemedical consultation platforms for them.
Many firms are using big data analysis to offer targeted help.
Baidu has introduced real-time updates of road closure information and population density at public places in its map app to help people avoid crowded places. Nearby fever clinics will be recommended to app users when searching for such places.
E-commerce platforms like Pinduoduo are contributing to the delivery of food and medical goods by building on their vast logistics and supply network.
Social media platforms are stepping in too. Tencent, owner of WeChat, one of the country's most popular social media platforms, has partnered with China's five major online medical service providers to offer volunteer medical consultations to WeChat's over 1.1 billion users.
Sina Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, has supported charity organizations to raise funds online and helped match the demand and supply of medical goods and services via information sharing.
To support work at home, tech giant ByteDance will offer free telecommuting and teleconferences to users of its online collaborative platform for several months, while Alibaba has offered similar services free to 10 million firms.
"There are two sides to every coin," said Zhang Tianbing, managing partner for the consumer products and retail sector with Deloitte Asia Pacific, who saw some positive changes during the coronavirus control.
"We can expect digital technologies and tools to speed up penetration in Chinese people's lives, work and entertainment. Business models will further evolve to cover both online and offline channels," Zhang said.
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