People eat out with their families in Jinan, capital of Shandong province, during the Spring Festival holiday. [Photo/IC]

Sales of Lunar New Year's Eve takeout meals in Jinan, Shandong province increased by 100 percent compared to the same time of the previous year, while the number of takeout categories exceeded 23,000, increased by 53 percent, local media reported.

In addition, the demand for meals for one has seen a spike in many cities in China as people were advised not to travel to their hometowns during the Spring Festival holiday to curb the spread of the COVID-19.

According to Meituan, an online food delivery platform, the demand for meals for one rose by 68 percent year-on-year during the Spring Festival holiday and that customers 25 years old or under accounted for 26 percent of the total.

Cross-cities orders, which refer to orders made and received that are not in the same city, increased significantly. Data showed that people who celebrated the New Year in Jinan were most likely to order takeout food for people in the cities of Liaocheng, Weifang, and Linyi.

In addition to ordering takeout meals, people opting not to travel during the Spring Festival holiday also bought holiday necessaries, including beverages, decorations, and gifts. Data showed that by the end of the fourth day of the seven-day holiday, 26,000 pairs of Spring Festival couplets, more than 40,000 Chinese characters fu, which means good luck, as well as more than 20,000 mahjong sets had been sold.

According to Meituan, flowers, fruit, gift boxes, chocolates, and cherries were the top five orders during the Spring Festival holiday period, with the order volume on Feb 14 being the peak of the whole period. Takeout orders have become an increasingly important way for people to purchase daily necessities.