Green channels ensure the smooth operation of Ningbo Zhoushan Port despite recent COVID-19 outbreaks in Beilun district, Ningbo, Zhejiang province where its major container port areas are located.

The first positive COVID-19 case was detected on Thursday and temporary static management started in the district on Friday.

In response, Ningbo Zhoushan Port activated contingency plans immediately to ensure logistics from the port areas in Beilun, which is home to more than 20,000 container trucks, to move smoothly during the outbreaks.

Since Oct 15, green channels have been opened specially for round-trip container trucks from four highway entrances, including Beilun, Chaiqiao, Chuanshan, and Guoju, to container terminals in port areas in Beilun. A whitelist system was launched for truck drivers, with eligible drivers able to receive travel permits.

All the channels are under close-loop management.

"I've done a nucleic acid test every day since Oct 13. After signing a pledge of epidemic prevention and control via a smartphone app, I was included in the first group of drivers on the whitelist and received my travel permit," said a driver surnamed Xu, "Transport has been smoother since I was admitted to the list."

Meanwhile, shippers are encouraged to distribute cargo through multiple logistic channels. The command center of the port has also been shifting berthing schedules for ships to decrease the negative influence of the epidemic.

According to the Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group, each port area is working properly under the stringent epidemic prevention and control measures.

Yu Yin in Ningbo contributed to the story