With Didi and express courier (aka kuaidi) services to Shunyi suspended for several weeks due to an outbreak of COVID-19 cases in the district, residents are getting used to life without them – and in many cases realizing how dependent they have become on them.

PR representatives from Didi and several courier companies contacted by beijingkids on Monday afternoon stated that they are following the orders of city government officials in charge of epidemic prevention and control and, as yet, have been given no timeline for the restoration of normal services. Asked to speculate, one courier company said that they don’t expect full service to resume until after the Chinese New Year holiday in mid-February. Residents in the district have said that while Didi is an absolute no-go, some packages have managed to get through despite the restrictions.

The Shunyi cluster sprang up in late December, and at its peak resulted in seven neighborhoods – all north and northeast of Beijing Capital International Airport – being declared “medium risk” areas. Since that time, the risk level of all but two of those areas has been returned to the baseline low-risk level.

Over the past month or so, Shunyi residents have gone through multiple rounds of mass testing to weed out any cases that were flying under the radar, with some compounds being put under closed management for short periods of time before test results were returned. Residents have also been advised to curtail unnecessary trips outside the district.

While local deliveries from supermarkets and restaurants within the district are still available, most items from outside the district are not. In addition, many housing estates have requested that all packages be left at the main gate, which has produced grumbles from some living in the often massive complexes, especially since it is winter to boot.

Some have questioned why such drastic measures remain in place in the district overall, especially compared to Daxing district, where a new outbreak has caused a cessation of services only to the affected neighborhoods and not to the district overall.

Nevertheless, residents of Shunyi are adjusting to life in the district, finding themselves getting more familiar with bus and subway transport (which remains unaffected), and walking and biking more than usual. Others have formed carpools with private drivers and had their courier packages delivered to their office downtown to take back home.

Tracy Blacklock, a teacher who lives and works in Shunyi, has gotten accustomed to biking 6km each way to work in the winter, grappling with sub-zero temperatures. “Once it was -13℃ and not very fun … but it means I get fit,” she said.

Biking at night has also been nerve-wracking for Blacklock, but tough times call for innovative solutions: “My [bike]  lights broke, so at one point I wrapped Christmas tree lights around me to stay safe.”

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