Flipkart shuts down and Amazon limits orders in India under coronavirus lockdown

Hong Kong CNN Business — India’s biggest online retailers have sharply reduced their service after the government ordered a three-week lockdown on residents across the country in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It said in a blog post that it would “temporarily stop taking orders” for some items as workers focus on filling orders for “critical” goods, such as household staples, packaged food and hygiene products. Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Images The company is reviewing “the possibilities of operating in the lockdown,” chief corporate affairs officer Rajneesh Kumar told CNN Business. Amazon told CNN Business it was “working with the central government and local authorities, asking them to help us urgently with detailed on-ground operating procedures.” Mixed messages Zomato, a popular food delivery startup, said its delivery workers were “facing several hurdles across cities while trying to deliver food.” It pointed out that its work had been classified as an essential service, but said that “coordinating with multiple local authorities is … challenging.” “The government has provided strong guidance which we are adhering by and trying our best to execute on the ground,” a company spokesperson told CNN Business. The online supermarket Grofers said Tuesday on Twitter that its warehouse in the northern city of Faridabad had been closed by local law enforcement, and that it was facing “operational challenges due to a lack of clarity in our listing as an essential service provider.” K K Rao, commissioner of police in Faridabad, told CNN Business that while they are not stopping e-commerce services, they are briefing factory workers about social distancing requirements.