Logistics sector ensures safe Games deliveries

The logistics department of the Beijing 2022 organizing committee has implemented a detailed COVID-19 prevention plan to ensure safe logistics transport during the Winter Olympics.

Li Yanling, head of the department, said at a news conference on Thursday that the department has formulated a plan for COVID-19 control and prevention for goods and personnel, and has applied intelligent equipment to ensure contact-free delivery and distribution.

She said to ensure the efficiency of logistics, all goods are divided into risk levels according to the COVID-19 situation at their place of origin. High-risk goods are subject to professional disinfection and testing at each stage, with the exterior of the vehicles disinfected before posting and the packaging disinfected upon entry into the warehouse. Low-risk goods are required to be disinfected by suppliers.

The department has established close cooperation with customs, ports and airports. She said 90 percent of customs clearance work has been completed within 24 hours and the department will maintain such efficiency in the following days.

Li said her department is responsible for the procurement, logistics and asset management during the Games, which will open on Feb 4. It has already completed the procurement work of about 500 projects, including the large sports equipment and materials for catering, transport, cultural activities, medical care and other services.

Li said that during the procurement, the logistics team has adhered to principles of group decision-making, green sustainability and frugality.

"We chose borrowing over renting, and renting over buying where possible to reduce waste of resources," she said, adding that the proportion of leasing in all material categories reached about 70 percent.

She said the department has also included sustainability clauses in all procurement documents and supported the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, with 69 of the contractors providing services being SMEs.

To save money and reduce emissions, a large amount of goods were delivered directly from suppliers to the venues in new energy vehicles and the area of the main logistics center has been reduced by 30 to 50 percent compared to previous Winter Olympics. The majority of the furniture was also designed to be foldable to save space, she said.

The department has released the customs and freight guide and provided customs clearance services for 380 batches of goods worth over 1.2 billion yuan ($188 million), she said.

January will be the peak period for customs clearance and the department is expecting another 2 billion yuan worth of materials. From Jan 23 to March 16, the department will provide baggage transport services for all participants from Beijing Capital International Airport, the designated entry port.

She added the disposal and recycling of materials will be launched at the end of the Games.