Coronavirus Kills 1700, Over 71,000 Infected Worldwide; Fast Food Companies Go For Contactless Pickup, Delivery

A viral outbreak that began in China has affected more than 71,000 people worldwide. The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it.

Outside mainland China, there have been about 780 infections reported in nearly 30 locations. Taiwan, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan have each reported one fatality, while France on Saturday announced the first death outside Asia, an elderly Chinese tourist.

As of Monday, 70,548 people had been infected across China, the majority in and around Wuhan - the capital of Hubei province, where the outbreak was first reported.

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Most of the 1,770 who have died in mainland China were in that region, but officials have confirmed multiple deaths elsewhere, including the capital Beijing. The fatalities include a US citizen.

Panic buying leads to chaos

In Hong Kong, people are forced to steal stuff. Armed robbers are on the loose stealing hundreds of toilet rolls in a city wracked by shortages caused by coronavirus panic-buying.

Toilet rolls have become hot property in the densely packed business hub, despite government assurances that supplies remain unaffected by the virus outbreak.

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Supermarkets have found themselves unable to restock quickly enough, leading to sometimes lengthy queues and shelves stripped bare within moments of opening.

Alongside toilet rolls, there has been a run on staples like rice and pasta as well as hand sanitiser and other cleaning items.

Contactless delivery

With the coronavirus outbreak in China continuing to spread, McDonald¡¯s Corp, Starbucks Corp and other fast-food companies are ramping up 'contactless' pickup and delivery services to keep their workers and customers safe, the companies said, as reported by news agency Reuters.

McDonald¡¯s has implemented contactless pickup and delivery of Big Macs, fries and other menu items across the China, as the outbreak has unfolded.

For delivery orders, drivers drop McDonald¡¯s packages at building entrances, disinfect their delivery bags and wash their hands more frequently. Drivers carry ID cards showing that they - and the people who made and packaged their food - had their body temperature scanned to prove they do not have a fever.

Reuters

¡°While we look at how to further improve the process, the stepped-up preventive measures apply to all of our servicing channels,¡± McDonald¡¯s said in a statement to Reuters.

There are contactless human transactions where couriers drop packages at a consumer¡¯s door or lobby, or place parcels in lockers for later pickup.

In transactions that previously would have involved one person handing a package to the other, the driver now puts the food down ¨C on the back of a moped, for instance ¨C and then steps back and waits for the customer to take it and leave.