The services have been launched as China accelerates testing for the illness and the city of Wuhan, the initial epicentre of the outbreak, opens up from lockdown. Therefore, users searching for ‘Coronavirus Nucleic Acid Test’ in Taobao or Tmall, Alibaba's two main ecommerce sites, are directed to a page offering appointments at nearby sites.
Prices depend on the city, with tests in Shanghai costing USD 25,42 and tests in Beijing costing USD 36,43. They are available in nine cities, but Alibaba intends to extend this. Moreover, JD.com, one of Alibaba's main rivals in China, launched a similar booking platform for tests in Beijing.
Every day we send out a free e-mail with the most important headlines of the last 24 hours.
Subscribe now