The express industry is recovering steadily, and communities and relevant organizations should provide conveniences for couriers to collect and deliver packages, an official said on Saturday.

The Ministry of Transport has given priority to the resumption of the postal and express delivery business. Deliveries in the second week of February rose 1.1 times from the previous week, said Wu Chungeng, director of the ministry's policy research office.

China Post, SF express and JD express have almost resumed work at full capacity, while the current overall recovery rate of other major express companies has reached 66.7 percent, Wu said.

During the novel coronavirus epidemic, many people staying at home for a short quarantine rely on express delivery to get their daily necessities. The ministry has joined hands with the State Post Bureau and China Post to take multiple measures to ensure the priority of the postal and express delivery vehicles and guaranteed the terminal delivery of goods, according to Wu.

The ministry urges all localities not to stop, inspect or charge the delivery vehicles or seize packages, express vehicles and drivers at will. The vehicles and drivers should be given the priority to pass through after the drivers take a quick temperature check and the vehicles are disinfected.

All regions should not take extreme measures to prohibit the collection and delivery of goods.

For low-risk regions, normal delivery services should be restored. In regions with moderate risks, the courier and postman should be allowed to enter residential communities for terminal delivery on the basis of strengthening health protection. In high-risk areas, convenient measures should be provided to couriers to pick up and deliver items, Wu said.

Governments at all levels are also asked to give priority to provide protective materials such as masks and gloves to the front-line employees including the couriers, the drivers, stevedore and other practitioners in the transportation of emergency supplies in key epidemic areas to ensure their health and safety.