November 6th, 2020

In the America’s we have seen a big surge in COVID-19 cases with 2 record breaking days this week. As previously mentioned we do not foresee any disruptions to our office or the movement of goods.  We’re continuing to see issues with container equipment globally with Asia specifically being a hot spot. Coupled with equipment issues, we are see more and more port congestion at the ports in the USA. The import surge from Asia is hindering operations and causing delays to supply chain across North America.

As was mentioned earlier, there are challenges around the movement of containers, with months of near capacity volumes and restricted operations now compounded by increased peak season importing:
 

• A nationwide chassis shortage is continuing to be felt, with New York, Los Angeles and Long Beach Port Terminals particularly impacted.
• Rail heads inland around the rest of the United States also face delays.
• The volume surge is also limiting the ability of terminal operators to implement cargo-handling enhancements such as dual transactions and dray-offs that help truckers increase their productivity.
• Carriers have started implementing “Emergency Intermodal Surcharges” at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. More information to follow as it comes through. 

The Mainfreight Port Operations team based at our Carson site in LA, is managing to keep containers moving, but advises that it would be prudent to be prepared for delays over the coming months.

Our Domestic Transport teams across the United States have been prepared for any disruption in the wake of the Presidential Election 48 hours ago. As of this morning, no issues impacting on the delivery or collection of cargo have been experienced.

 

August 12th, 2020

The situation in the Americas remains largely as reported late last week in our previous update. Infections continue, while a state by state response has led to varying stay at home orders and "Phase 1 openings" across the United States.

A small number of our team are still working remotely or on shifts, however, all 74 Mainfreight branches through North and South America are fully operational with little to no service delays. Ports, Airports, and Cargo depots are unaffected.
 

---

 

August 3rd, 2020

 

We have just received an update from our Mainfreight Airfreight team in Melbourne about the temporary closure of the Qantas airfreight terminal. Our understanding through communications from the International Forwarders & Customs Brokers Association of Australia (IFCBAA) is that this closure is expected to last for 48 hours following advice from the Victoria Department of Health and Human Services.

There are alternative ground handlers in Melbourne, and we are working with the affected airlines to advise those customers who have cargo movements that will be impacted. The release from Mainfreight Australia is as below:

Qantas temporarily closes its Melbourne freight terminals

We have just been informed that Qantas have temporarily paused operations at their Melbourne Freight terminals, on the back of advice from the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services.

We anticipate this is going to impact freight movements, causing delays over the coming days. Our teams are working closely with the airlines that operate within the Qantas freight terminals to identify movements likely to be affected and will be notifying these customers accordingly.

For Further information please contact your local Mainfreight Air and Ocean team.

April 30th, 2020

 

The Mainfreight teams across Northern and Southern America are reporting that "stay at home" orders are beginning to be relaxed or lifted, while cargo, as previously reported, has continued to move freely.

Consistent with other parts of the world, demand for air freight capacity has increased. Our Mainfreight USA Air Freight teams have maintained contracted services out of the major world gateways into the USA, and have introduced regular trans–Pacific charter flights.

Throughout the COVID–19 related restrictions, our branches across the Americas have remained open and fully functional.

Cargo continues to move successfully around the world, with demand for both air and sea freight capacity increasing as social restrictions begin to be wound back. In this period communication remains vital to ensuring that we are able to deliver solutions which support ongoing business recovery and development.

Air cargo capacity is accessible on almost all trade lanes with a mix of charter and commercial freighter services well established. We expect further development in this area in coming days.

 

---

 

April 17th, 2020

The Mainfreight teams across Northern and Southern America are reporting that "stay at home" orders continue to be extended, with some states indicating restrictions will be in place until mid-May or later. Cargo, as reported last week, continues to move freely.

The demand for air freight continues to be strong. Our Mainfreight USA Air Freight teams have maintained services out of the major world gateways into the USA.

All of our branches across the Americas remain open and fully functional; our warehouses are working as normal, and our trucks continue to deliver product to our customers with consumables and health–related products dominating FTL and LTL loads.

While cargo continues to move successfully around the world, the challenge remains where customers have closed premises, to manage freight already in motion.

Availability of air cargo capacity continues to grow on most trade lanes as a mix of charter and commercial freighter services are established.

We strongly encourage our customers to keep talking with their local Mainfreight teams. We have available infrastructure and storage capacity in all markets to assist.

 

---

  

April 14th, 2020

 

The Mainfreight teams across North and South America are reporting that "stay at home" orders continue to be imposed or extended across the country. At the same time, borders between the USA, Mexico, and Canada have closed to non'residents. Cargo, as reported last week, continues to move freely.

The demand for air freight continues to be strong, especially out of Mainland China. Our Mainfreight USA Air freight teams have maintained services out of the major gateways in China into the USA.

All of our branches across the Americas remain open and fully functional; our warehouses are working as normal, and our trucks continue to deliver product to our customers with consumables and health–related products dominating FTL and LTL loads.

 

---

  

April 8th, 2020

 

The Mainfreight team in North America report that increasingly "stay at home" orders are being imposed or extended across the country, while borders between the USA, Mexico, and Canada have closed to non–residents. Cargo however continues to move freely.

All of our branches across the Americas remain open and fully functional; our warehouses are working as normal, and our trucks continue to deliver product to our customers with consumables and health-related products dominating FTL and LTL loads.

Cargo continues to move unabated around the world, with the challenge now being where non–essential customers are closing premises, to manage freight already in motion. Much as we have done in New Zealand, our Mainfreight branches across the world are working with those affected to manage delivery and provide options.

Availability of air cargo capacity is growing on most trade lanes as freighter services come on stream.

 

---

 

April 6th, 2020

 

The Mainfreight team in North America reports that efforts to contain COVID–19 are increasing with quite significant impact in several cities, including New York. The US Government last week extended "stay at home" orders until April 30th across the country, while borders between the USA, Mexico, and Canada have closed to non residents. Cargo however continues to move freely.

All of our branches across the Americas remain open and fully functional; our warehouses are functioning as normal, and our trucks continue to deliver product to our customers and into communities.

The support continues from central governments in the regions we operate in to protect the consistent and unobstructed movement of cargo.

The challenge is emerging in some countries, where non–essential customers are closing premises, to manage freight already in motion. Much as we have done in New Zealand, our Mainfreight branches across the world are working with those affected to manage delivery and provide options.

Air cargo solutions are also available, and we expect further stability in the market as freighter services come on stream.

 

---

  

April 3rd, 2020

 

The Mainfreight team through North and South America report that efforts to contain COVID–19 are increasing with quite significant impact in several cities, including New York. The US Government has extended "stay at home" orders until April 30th across the country. The borders between the USA, Mexico, and Canada have closed to non–residents. Cargo however continues to move freely.

All of our branches across the Americas remain open and fully functional; our warehouses are functioning as normal, and our trucks continue to deliver product to our customers and into communities.

Our customers, assisted by their local Mainfreight teams, have continued to adjust to the environment developing around them. The support seen from central governments in the regions we operate to protect the consistency of cargo movement remains apparent.

Air cargo solutions continue to be developed, and we expect further stability in the market as freighter services come on stream.

 

---

  

April 1st, 2020

 

The Mainfreight team through North and South America report that efforts to contain COVID–19 are becoming more apparent. In the USA, positive tests have surpassed 150,000, resulting in the US Government extending the "stay at home" order until April 30th across the country. The borders between the USA, Mexico, and Canada have closed to non–residents, although cargo continues to move freely.

All of our branches across the Americas remain open and fully functional; our warehouses are functioning as normal, and our trucks continue to deliver product to our customers and into communities.

Government imposed social health measures around the world have necessitated adjustment in the way trade is facilitated, and our teams operate. We continue to see support from central governments in the regions where we have a presence, to protect the consistency of cargo movement.

Clarity is beginning to emerge around the available capacity and structure of air freight services for the next 4 weeks, and beyond. Our Mainfreight teams around the world are finding air cargo solutions, and we expect further stability in the market as freighter services come on stream.

 

 

 

March 30th, 2020

 

There has been a continuation of "shelter in place" orders across more states in the USA, however no impact upon the movement of freight in any state has been experienced as yet.

Mainfreight branches and depots in the USA remain open and continue to service our customers, with delivery planning an important part of our team's tasks everyday, as more organisations suspend on–site operations.

In Canada, Mexico and Chile, our Mainfreight team members report that while various population and border control measures are in place, there is no impediment to trade and the movement of cargo.

Government imposed social health measures exist now in most parts of the world.

While this has necessitated some adjustment in the way our teams operate, we continue to see support from central governments almost universally to protect the consistency of cargo movement.

Air freight in the short term remains constrained, however we are gaining clarity around what this period will look like in the short and medium term. Our Mainfreight teams on the ground globally continue to deliver air cargo solutions, whilst we expect capacity to stabilise as freighter services come on stream and demand drops with local retail restrictions.

Please keep working with your local Mainfreight team to manage freight already in motion. As outlined earlier we have available infrastructure and team to assist through this period.

 

---

March 27th, 2020

 

Whilst "shelter in place" orders are coming into effect across more states in the USA, they have not impacted upon the movement of freight in any state as yet. Across Northern and Southern America, Mainfreight branches and depots are open and continue to service our customers, although we are seeing more businesses entering into lockdown in some states, making delivery planning important.

At this point, as an essential services provider, we have seen no disruption in the delivery to our Transport, Warehousing or Air & Ocean forwarding operations.

The emergence of passenger airlines repurposing aircraft to move cargo only is prevalent in the USA. While air cargo rates remain volatile, the Mainfreight team’s daily allocation through blocked space agreements do provide some protection.

For ocean freight, our USA teams report business as usual with volumes starting to pick up with the Chinese factories coming back online.

In Canada, the Mainfreight team in Toronto tell us the situation remains the same as previously updated, with the border closed to all but essential industry. Cargo remains free to move north and south across the border.

In Mexico, our two branches continue to see borders with the USA remain open, although much like Europe there are some delays in crossing with health checks and delays in customs clearance.

Mainfreight Santiago in Chile reports that the local stay-at-home orders are being enforced. Our offices are considered essential providers and remain open.

The escalation of social measures has continued in most parts of the world as governments introduce increased border and social regulation to protect their populations.

We also see an appreciation from central governments around the world for the place that the secure movement of cargo has in supporting communities and business, particularly in New Zealand, and remain hopeful that the unencumbered flow of cargo will continue to be supported.

Air freight in the short term remains constrained. Our Mainfreight teams on the ground globally are delivering air cargo solutions as the situation provides opportunity to do so. We expect capacity to stabilise as freighter services come on stream and demand drops with local retail restrictions.

Please keep working with your local Mainfreight team to manage freight already in motion. As outlined earlier we have available infrastructure and team to assist through this period.

 

---

March 25th, 2020

 

Across the USA, many states have followed California, New York, and Illinois, with social restrictions referred to as "shelter in place" or "stay at home" orders.

To date this has not impacted upon the movement of freight in any state. Across Northern and Southern America, Mainfreight branches and depots are open and continue to service our customers.

Our teams in the North America have followed state orders where issued, adopting the alternate shift model we saw in China.

We continue to see an escalation in social measures in most parts of the world as governments protect both their population, and support the flow of cargo.

Air freight in the short term remains challenging. However our teams on the ground globally are delivering air cargo solutions as the situation provides opportunity to do so. We expect this situation to stabilise as freighter services come on stream and demand drops with social and local retail restrictions.

Please keep working with your local Mainfreight team to manage freight already in motion. As outlined earlier we have available infrastructure and team to assist through this period.

 

---

March 23rd, 2020

 

Late Friday afternoon New Zealand time, California was the first state to issue mandatory state-wide restrictions in the USA to combat the spread of the virus to its residents. Like elsewhere in the world, freight and logistics are considered a critical part of the economy and infrastructure and are expected to continue without interruption. Sea freight ports remain open and operational.

Our Mainfreight team in Mexico advises that the government there is yet to impose travel restrictions. All Mexican airports and ports are fully operational, as is the northern border with the USA.

The Mainfreight Transport network throughout North America continues to operate unencumbered. We have experienced no service delays to date.

Although we are in an escalating environment in most parts of the world, governments globally continue to actively enable and support the flow of cargo.

As we have been communicating, air freight in the short term is challenging. However our teams on the ground globally are delivering air cargo solutions as the situation provides opportunity to do so.

Please keep talking to your local Mainfreight team as we all manage our way through this period together. Feedback in regions where movement among the local population is the most restricted is that it is important to understand which suppliers or customer sites are in a position to send or receive goods as soon as possible in the planning of any pick up or delivery. This is much the same as we would see in holiday periods like Christmas in New Zealand or Thanksgiving in the USA.

 

---

March 20th, 2020

 

The present operational situation for Mainfreight North America remains similar to our last update, with all branches throughout North and South America remaining open.

There were positive COVID-19 test results reported at two freight terminals operated by the Port of Houston Authority yesterday, and they have closed temporarily. We expect them to re-open quickly and have seen no service disruptions thus far.

Our Transport, Warehousing and Air & Ocean network of 65 branches throughout North America continues to operate, with all open and delivering cargo. We have seen no service delays to date.

Although we are in a changeable environment, government actions globally continue to support the unencumbered flow of cargo. Our teams are continuing to operate and maintain a consistent level of service delivery.

As noted earlier, air freight in the short term will prove to be the most impacted mode in global supply chains. Our teams both here in New Zealand, and on the ground globally, are well positioned to continue generating and delivering air cargo solutions as this dynamic and ongoing situation provides opportunity to do so.

 

---

March 18th, 2020

 

As advised on Friday, last week the US Government announced restrictions on travel between Europe and the United States, including the United Kingdom and Ireland. Canada has introduced similar measures.

While the North American travel bans do not include the movement of cargo, we expect that when combined with the recently announced European Union hard border measures, further reductions in air freight capacity will emerge. Ocean freight cargo is expected to continue moving freely with no restrictions.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your local Mainfreight Air & Ocean team.

Although we are heading into a period of uncertainty, the update above demonstrates that the world's freight trade–lanes remain open. Our experience in China has given us knowledge of how to operate in this new environment, which is now evident amongst our European teams.

All 275 of Mainfreight's branches world-wide are open, and our team is finding air and sea freight solutions to support the flow of supplies on behalf of our customers.

 

---

March 16th, 2020

 

As advised on Friday, the US Government announced last week restrictions on travel between Europe and the United States. That travel ban became effective at midnight on Friday March 13 and applied to passengers from 26 countries of the Schengen border-free travel area in Europe.

The United Kingdom and Ireland were initially excluded from the ban, but will be added at midnight Monday March 16 EST. Citizens and permanent residents of the USA remain excluded.

While the US travel ban does not include the movement of cargo, with approximately 50% of Trans-Atlantic air freight capacity on passenger aircraft, we expect this to have a major impact on the air freight market almost immediately, as it has in other parts of the world where passenger restrictions exist. Ocean freight cargo is expected to continue moving freely with no restrictions.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your local Mainfreight Air & Ocean team. While the situation is dynamic and rapidly evolving, so too are the solutions our teams are putting together for our customers around the world.

 

---

March 13th, 2020

 

The US Government announced yesterday, restrictions on travel between Europe and the United States. As of midnight on Friday 13 March 2020, a travel ban will be implemented on passengers from 26 countries of the Schengen border-free travel area in Europe. The United Kingdom and Ireland are excluded from the ban, as are citizens/permanent residents of the USA.

Contrary to initial reports, the US travel ban does not include cargo, or the movement of cargo.

However, with approximately 50% of Trans-Atlantic airfreight capacity on passenger aircraft, we expect this to have a major impact on the Air freight market almost immediately. At the time of writing Airlines have already started to move to reduce exposure to reduced passenger demand through the announcement of flight cancellations.

Ocean Freight cargo is still moving freely with no restrictions.

The Countries covered under the US Government travel ban:

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

February 29th, 2020

 

Our teams in mainland China and Hong Kong have reported ongoing improvement in the operating environment for commercial activity post the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak in China.

It is believed that over 80% of shippers and factories in China have now resumed export activity, with challenges around labour and intercity transport availability still a factor.

Chinese government agencies, including the Chinese Customs Department have returned to close to normal operating levels. Transport within cities appears to be again at almost 100%, however the driver shortage is still exerting pressure on rates. Our team on the ground in China believes domestic transport demand will stabilise in 2-3 weeks.

All Port Terminals are open, although delays and vessel omissions continue to be experienced. Our advice remains consistent from our previous update, in that all shipping should be reviewed and where a significant inland road transport leg is involved, investigate barge and feeder vessel options via 2nd and 3rd tier ports closer to the shipper or importer.

Shipping Lines continue to be reluctant to accept Reefer container bookings as a shortage of power connections on Port, and the congestion detailed above, mean that cool chain risk is elevated.

Air freight enquiries regarding urgent options to and from China have increased as forecast, while passenger flights involving China will be severely restricted until at least mid March. Our teams are however finding success in bookings between China and New Zealand through a number of routes.

As indicated in our last update, we have seen increased levels of COVID-19 infection being reported in Korea, Japan, Singapore, Italy, Iran and other countries.

A global pandemic is yet to be declared, and there are no restrictions on the movement of goods between countries (other than those previously advised).

We do however expect Airlines to continue to react to reduced passenger demand, which will impact the movement of goods by air, should the wider infection situation deteriorate.

We will monitor the situation across Australasia, Asia, the Americas and Europe where Mainfreight has a presence, and provide updates, as we have with China.

The positive developments in China are expected to continue, with a general normalisation of sea freight activity appearing only several weeks away. Air freight capacity however is directly linked to passenger demand, which will be influenced by infection rates in impacted countries.

As shipment bookings start to increase, so it becomes more important to talk to your local Mainfreight Air & Ocean branch as early as possible so that we can secure a solution for you.

 

---

February 25th, 2020

 

We have been working closely with the Mainfreight teams in mainland China and Hong Kong as commercial activity begins again, and focus moves toward air and sea freight solutions for our customers that have had supply chain disruption through the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak.
 

Today’s update is detailed below:

Our Mainfreight China branches have all now resumed normal operations, and our team continues to be safe and healthy. As a precaution we will maintain the two shifts approach through until March 2nd. 

The team reports that between 60% and 80% of shippers and factories have resumed export activity, with a lack of labour persisting in the short term. 

Chinese importers are back operating in the most part, with only 10% yet to reopen. We have seen bookings increase steadily since late last week. 

Transport within China continues to be challenging as the previously advised limitations on movement between cities and provinces is maintained. The team tell us that transport bookings are being completed, albeit with 48 hour delays in most cases, making it important to arrange cartage ahead of time. Driver shortages are still being experienced which is compounding the travel restrictions for those that are working, which is in turn pushing up rates by up to 150%. 

All Port Terminals are reported to be open, although delays and vessel omissions continue to be factor. Our team suggests that all shipping should be reviewed and where a significant inland road transport leg is involved, investigate barge and feeder vessel options via 2nd and 3rd tier ports closer to the shipper or importer. 

Shipping Lines are still reluctant to accept Reefer container bookings as a shortage of power connections on Port, and the congestion detailed above, mean that cool chain risk is elevated. 
We are fielding increasing enquiries regarding Air freight options to and from China. At the time of writing there are very limited passenger flights into China until at least mid March, while we are starting also to see a reduction in flights to other Asian destinations as passenger demand remains subdued. However, our teams have put together air freight options for all the main import and export Chinese lanes we operate in, including New Zealand, Australia, The Americas, Europe and Southeast Asia. 

Finally we have seen increased levels of infection reported in Korea, Japan, Singapore and Italy.

Measures taken in Italy

In Italy, the Italian government has taken measures to tackle the spreading of the Coronavirus. In some of the northern communities, where the amount of diagnoses is relatively high, are being isolated. The inhabitants are not allowed to go to school or work. All roads and railroads from and to these areas are closed or controlled. The following cities are unreachable for the outside world: 

LOMBARDIA  REGION:
26821 Bertonico
26841 Casalpusterlengo
26844 Castelgerundo
26823 Castiglione D’Adda
26845 Codogno
26861 Fombio
26847 Maleo
29848 San Fiorano
26867 Somaglia
26827 Terranova dei Passerini

VENETO REGION:
35030 Vo

Our Mainfreight teams in these markets expect the introduction of additional restrictions over the coming week. They advise our customers to proceed with caution if trading with these countries. We will continue to monitor the situation and include these regions in our updates if the situation changes. 

In summary, while there are positive developments in parts of China, there remains considerable uncertainty, which has the potential to spread to other impacted countries. As shipment bookings start to increase, so does it become more important to talk to your local Mainfreight Air & Ocean branch as early as possible so that we can secure a solution for you. 

 

---

February 18th, 2020

 

The Mainfreight teams in mainland China and Hong Kong have provided overnight a more positive update than we have seen since the Wuhan Coronavirus situation began to impact commercial activities.

The key points at the time of writing are:

Mainfreight branches within China

• Mainfreight Xiamen has fully recovered and is operating at 100%.
• Mainfreight branches in Qingdao, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen have also recovered to 100%, although our teams in those operations are on rotating shifts to limit exposure. Effectively this means that at any given time, 50% of the team is in the office, with the other 50% working remotely.
• Mainfreight Tianjin, Beijing, and Ningbo are operating at limited capacity while local authorities work through the approval process, which will permit the team to reopen the office. While this is completed, the team is working remotely.

China mainland-based Shippers & Importers

• The Hubei, Anhui, and Zhejiang provinces remain closed for commerce until further notice.
• Commercial operations throughout the rest of China continue to experience constraints caused by team members not returning after the extended Chinese New Year period as they are in areas where movement is restricted, or they are unable to meet government hygiene requirements to start operating.

Domestic Road Transport within China

• Previously imposed limitations around movement between cities and provinces remain in effect.
• Our teams have been able to book transport for export shipments from China 2 days in advance.
• While transport is available, the cost has increased up to 150% due to the shortage of drivers and with demand coming back on. (We will communicate with individual customers directly to manage these cost impacts where applicable).

Port Terminals

• Yang Shan in Shanghai is operating for export cargoes at a limited capacity.
• Xingang (Tianjin) & Ningbo ports operational at limited capacity.
• All other Chinese ports are operating as usual for export only.
• Import cargo into China is being delayed through congestion, and carriers are generally prioritizing the loading of export containers in the time available at the port.
• Reefer containers continue to be heavily impacted due to the limited availability of plugs on port and congestion.
• Shipping lines continue to announce port omissions in the short term as a result of the congestion.

Air

• Passenger flights into China remain limited until at least mid-March.
• The Mainfreight Air Freight teams in China have found that routings over Hong Kong and Singapore offer the best options into Australasia in the short term.
• Cathay Pacific has announced further reductions overnight in air freight services into and out of China in response to deteriorating passenger demand.

We continue to advise our customers to talk through their situation with their local Mainfreight Air & Ocean teams. While the business environment in China has improved further, it does continue to be uncertain.

 

---

February 14th, 2020

 

The Mainfreight teams in Mainland China and Hong Kong have continued to keep us informed this week around the Wuhan Coronavirus situation and its impact on commercial activities in affected regions.

Progress towards normalization of trading after the extended Chinese New Year (CNY) period has been challenging as expected.

Aside from the Mainfreight branches in Tianjin, Beijing, and Ningbo, which remain closed while local reopening requirements are met, all of our other branches are open and operational. 
To minimize the risk of infection for our team, and following Central Government guidelines, our teams are in the offices on rotating shifts or working remotely.

While shipment bookings can be made, as usual, our teams report that a lot of supplier factories and warehouses remain closed. This is particularly prevalent within the Hubei province, as well as Anhui, Zhejiang, Henan, and Chongqing, which all remain closed until further notice. 
The factories we work with outside of these provinces have told us that the Government requires them to have available 6 weeks’ stock of masks for all team members before they are allowed to resume operations.

At the time of writing, we are finding that Chinese customs processing is back to normal, albeit with delays due to an increase in compliance requirements. 
The Yang Shan terminal in Shanghai, Xingang & Ningbo ports are yet to reopen. Qingdao, Yantian, Wai Gao Qiao Shanghai (WGQ), and Xiamen ports are operating, albeit again, with delays.

Cross border and inter-province or city road transport is still an issue with licensing restrictions and quarantine period requirements for drivers having an impact in some areas. Hong Kong is the exception where we are currently able to use road transport across the border. However, rail is restricted.

Airfreight remains constrained. Cathay, for example, has reduced flights by 90% in and out of mainland China. 
Mainfreight offices in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and Vietnam are all operating as usual. 
Our advice from earlier updates is mostly unchanged; we encourage our customers to talk through their situation with their local Mainfreight Air & Ocean teams. While the business environment in China has improved, it does continue to be uncertain.

Our teams in New Zealand, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Australia will continue to provide updates as information comes to hand.

Within Mainfreight we have started below protocol, which helps minimize the potential spreading of the Coronavirus. We will continue to implement any new protocols as they are advised by the relevant authorities.

• Cover your nose and mouth with a handkerchief or use your bent elbow if you cough or sneeze.
• Don't shake hands or kiss as a greeting.
• Wash your hands regularly for at least 30 seconds with soap and water or with a disinfecting alcohol gel. Dry your hands with paper towels.
• Avoid contact and keep a distance of at least 1.5 metres.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Do not share personal items such as pens, food, drinks, cups, etc.
• Stay at home (or work from home if possible) if you feel ill.
• Contact your doctor if you have a fever, cough and are short of breath.
• Inform your supervisor if you have been in risk areas. This includes China, South Korea, Northern Italy, Japan, Iran, Singapore, Hong Kong, United States and Thailand, etc.

Loading and unloading at suppliers / customers

• Drivers must disinfect their hands and avoid direct contact. Do not shake hands. Keep 1.5 metre distance.
• Drivers are not allowed in the warehouse.
• Use your own pen when processing shipment documents.
• Use disinfecting gel.

Loading and unloading cross dock

• Drivers must disinfect their hands and avoid direct contact. Do not shake hands.
• External Drivers are not allowed on the cross dock.
• Use your own pen when processing shipment documents.
• Disinfecting gel. Use this also for access control.