WUHAN -- China's Hubei province, the epicenter of the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak, said "green channels" are being built for e-commerce platforms to play a bigger role in ensuring the provision of supplies for local people.

The provincial government has paid great attention to e-commerce and held meetings to hear about the difficulties e-commerce platforms face after the citywide lockdown of residential communities, said Qin Jun, director of the provincial commerce department.

To support the operation of e-commerce platforms, related authorities have taken measures to guarantee prioritized supplies to e-businesses, deploy public transport for e-commerce deliveries, and make specific recruitment plans to address labor shortages.