Taipei, June 2 (CNA) Some of Taiwan's biggest-name supermarket and convenience store chains this week temporarily suspended deliveries of frozen and chilled parcels, as couriers face skyrocketing demand caused by the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
Among those to announce service stoppages was Hi-Life convenience store, which said Tuesday that its cold deliveries via Taiwan Pelican Express will be halted through Saturday.
Similarly, all Hi-Life home deliveries by HCT Logistics will be stopped until June 15, while those by SF Express are being suspended indefinitely, the company said.
Meanwhile, the parent company of 7-Eleven said that refrigerated and frozen deliveries by T-Cat (also known as "black cat") courier service will be suspended through Thursday, though orders will still be available for in-store pickup.
In terms of Taiwanese supermarkets, a.mart said that some of its cold shipping services handled by T-Cat would also be suspended through Thursday, but said that other types of deliveries remain unaffected.
CostCo, for its part, said its refrigerated deliveries by Kerry TJ Logistics to rural areas in Taiwan could see delays, while those to other parts of the country are running smoothly.
An exception to the delays was Carrefour, which said that its cold deliveries -- handled by an in-house courier service and four contracted firms -- continue to run on schedule.
The widespread shipping delays come after several Taiwanese courier services on Tuesday announced partial service cuts in response to what they said was an unprecedented level of demand.
In a statement, T-Cat said it had decided to suspend cold deliveries in Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu, as well as those through 7-Eleven and OK Mart convenience stores nationwide through Thursday.
At the same time, the company said it would be unable to ensure next-day delivery of uninsured packages through June 14.
Meanwhile, HTC Logistics said it is halting cold deliveries to Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, Taoyuan and Hsinchu, as well as those from Hi-Life convenience stores nationwide through Friday.
A spokesman for T-Cat told CNA the company plans to review the suspensions daily based on the current level of demand, while also considering its ability to provide good service quality and guaranteeing the well-being of its employees.
Online shopping and the demand for home delivery services has spiked in Taiwan in recent weeks, as the country faces an outbreak of more than 8,000 locally-transmitted COVID-19 infections and nationwide containment measures imposed by the government on May 19.
