UPS suspends pickup, delivery services in Chinese tech hub Shenzhen

(Reuters) -Logistics company United Parcel Service Inc has suspended all pickup, delivery and self pickup services in the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Dongguan after strict restrictions were imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The U.S.-based company has also decided to set aside imported shipments in provinces such as Fujian and Jiangsu for sanitizing for a specific number of days. The transit time for shipments may be extended, it warned.

Multiple Chinese provinces and cities have in recent days tightened restrictions in line with Beijing’s zero-tolerance goal of suppressing COVID-19 as quickly as possible.

The curbs have also forced FedEx Corp to make adjustments to its network, the company said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.

The service disruptions come after the two of the world’s largest logistics companies said last month they are halting delivery service to Russia and Ukraine following Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor.

(Reporting by Kannaki Deka in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni)