Amazon offers special delivery of essentials in Mumbai's containment zones

Amazon will deliver orders to a designated delivery point in the vicinity of the containment zone, from where volunteers will take the packages to the customer's doorstep

Amazon India said it is providing delivery services of essential items to residents in containment zones in Mumbai, in collaboration with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Following successful pilots over the last few weeks, the e-commerce giant has scaled up the initiative to deliver essentials in many containment zones in the city. This initiative will support residents in these zones who face restrictions in movement. Amazon will deliver orders placed to a designated delivery point in the vicinity of the containment zone, from where volunteers will take the packages to the customer’s doorstep.

“We want to help keep India safe and we firmly believe that Amazon has a unique role to play in providing a critical service for customers to get the goods they need for their families without leaving their homes,” said Prakash Rochlani, Director, Last Mile Operations, Amazon India. “Our collaboration with BMC is intended to support those in the containment zones to access essential items conveniently and safely. We are humbled with the feedback we have received from customers during the pilots, especially on the ease with which they could receive items that were essential for their daily needs.”

The designated interim delivery points will operate in co-ordination with POC at the Society and designated BMC containment zone officer. The customers would need to add the essential items they need to their cart, and then select their delivery location based on the containment zone they reside in.  They would be notified of the delivery status of their packages through SMS, email and app updates just like the usual Amazon orders update. These would then be handed over to the volunteers, who would pick up packages from the common delivery point and place them at the doorstep of customers. All of this is done while adhering to the social distancing norms and via a no-contact delivery model for the safety of customers, volunteers and the Amazon delivery associates.

“Citizens who reside in containment zones are restricted from stepping out of the containment zones in order to contain the spread of Covid-19. Various e-commerce companies have prioritized deliveries to containment areas at society gates,” said Jayshree Bhoj, Addl. Commissioner from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. “We are pleased to know Amazon's initiative and commitment to enable the people of Mumbai to stay home and stay safe.”

Amazon India has also expanded the special delivery program for containment zones in other cities such as New Delhi and Hyderabad. The firm said it will continue to work with local authorities and residents across the country to scale this program further.

Amazon has taken extreme measures to keep people safe, tripling down on deep cleaning, temperature checks, changing processes to ensure those in its buildings are keeping safe distances. All delivery associates are always advised to take necessary precautions like regularly washing their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, using sanitizers at a regular interval, cleaning vehicles regularly. They are required to wear a mask covering their nose and mouth at all times among other safety measures.