World coronavirus dispatch: Chinese can now book tests on e-commerce sites

From China allowing users to book coronavirus tests on e-commerce sites, to $484-billion US relief package, and another pandemic that may follow Covid-19 - read these and more in today's dispatch

China’s biggest e-commerce firms Alibaba and JD have launched Covid-19 tests on their platforms. Users can book tests, the prices of which vary from city to city, in their neighbourhood labs, by visiting Taobao, Tmall and JD.com. It’s a huge leap in the country’s efforts to accelerate testing aggressively, as China’s e-commerce reach exceeds 70 per cent of its population.

Several cities and provinces in China have also announced that coronavirus testing would be available to citizens on a voluntary basis, instead of only those required to be tested by the government because of travel history, etc.