Zongzi, a traditional delicacy made of sticky rice, is appearing on the tables of Chinese families this June when people celebrate the annual Dragon Boat Festival across the nation and beyond.

Workers near the Yangtze River in Hubei Province started collecting leaves for Zongzi making since early April, a month earlier than usual, because they want to make up for losses during the lockdown.

The epidemic has hit these leaf-collecting businesses so hard that they have been working much harder than usual. Sales are only 60 percent of their usual levels, so they are counting on online sales.

Still, workers who are bringing the scent of Zongzi to the Dragon Boat Festival found some solace during the pandemic. "It's nice to have the kids around," said one.