In response to most companies resuming work in Shanghai during the novel coronavirus epidemic, enterprises in Shanghai are ordering meals online through Meituan and Eleme – China's online take-out food ordering platforms – to guarantee employees' health and safety.

On the second Monday after the resumption of work on Feb 10 in Shanghai, more employees had returned to their workplace and more organizations were advocating separate dining.

A company in Lin-gang Special Area that guarantees water supplies for civil use, has had more than 100 employees return to work since Feb 10. At present, the company's canteen is implementing a separate dining system. The company buys a large amount of disposable tableware such as chopsticks and lunch boxes every day, so that the staff can take the meals back to their individual workstations.

A person in charge surnamed Wu said that the company buys about 500 sets of disposable tableware and other food ingredients every day from Fast Donkey, a restaurant supply chain platform run by Meituan. Although there were traditional food vendors in the canteen before the holidays, they have not yet returned to work because of the epidemic, and orders through Fast Donkey can usually be delivered the next day. The method of non-contact delivery also conforms to the company's epidemic prevention regulations.

The dining hall of an enterprise in Shanghai during the epidemic resembles an examination room.  [Photo/WeChat account: scofcom]