COVID-19 outbreak China

Following further easing of China's strict COVID-19 measures, the country has been hit by a massive virus outbreak.

The North of China seems particularly affected in this regard: according to the World Health Organisation, up to 70% of its inhabitants have now also contracted the virus. This is predicted to rise even higher, as infections in other parts of the country are also increasing rapidly. This development will potentially affect (air) ports, warehouses, local trucking, and customs clearance. As the situation changes day by day, there may be sporadic delays.

As China loosens their COVID restrictions, the (China CDC – Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) said China will likely experience a peak in cases by the middle of January 2023, followed by weaker second and third waves, according to experiences from other countries. CDC anticipate this is something China needs to go through for complete re-opening.

According to Chinese authorities there will be lower cases once most of the population acquires herd immunity without signs of new strains being investigated.

one peak, three waves, three months

In a report by Chinese state media the chief epidemiologist Wu of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said that this current outbreak will peak this winter and continue in three specific phases for about three months:

• Phase 1: The first wave is happening right now (from mid-December to mid-January) especially in the big cities.
• Phase 2: A second wave is then expected to take place from late January to mid-February, partly due to mass movement within China ahead of Chinese New Year which will be celebrated from 21 January. Under normal circumstances, millions of Chinese will travel to their village or city of origin to spend time with family.
• Phase 3: A third and final wave of infections will take place from late February to about the end of March when Chinese people en masse return to work the holiday weeks around Chinese New Year.

The current situation for DSV China 

• DSV China has back up staff ready for its local branches and at a various of department levels.
• COVID-19 infections are increasing faster in North China than in South China, making the operational impact for DSV China greater in the North. Local branches where the virus has less impact support branches with staff outages.
• Currently, our services to and from China are still running normally with the exception of some minor delays at airport terminals and warehouses due to the number of infections.
• The waiting time for ships at Shanghai port has not changed significantly, according to our most up-to-date data (January 3, 2023).
• CFS warehousing and trucking service: due to relatively low demand and the no-rush period before CNY 2023, the impact on road transport is relatively small.

A good preparation for CNY 2023

Due to the following factors, DSV China recommends booking your shipments as early as possible:

• Although CNY 2023 blank sailings have not yet been fully announced, they are predicted to increase by at least 10% compared to last year. 
• In China, blank sailings and port omissions are common in December and the weeks before CNY. 
• Domestic Trucking Resource and Ground handling: DSV China advise there is a tighter capacity than last year, in view of the no travel ban and first wave peak of the outbreak. Besides this, some factories might ease their production a few weeks before CNY, in view of the overall situation.

DSV has already prepared for this situation so that we are able to ensure the continuation of our operations in China with the necessary flexibility. As further developments occur, we will post the necessary updates