Chinese couples are sending each other 'bouquets' of masks and other essentials to celebrate Valentine's Day as the coronavirus outbreak continues

UUPaotui

A courier from UUPaotui, a company providing speedy delivery service in China, delivers a mask "flower bundle."

UUPaotui

A courier from UUPaotui, a company providing speedy delivery service in China, delivers a mask "flower bundle."

• It's Valentine's Day, but the deadly coronavirus outbreak has prevented people in China from celebrating it as usual.
• Special "bouquets" full of practical items like masks, vegetables, and snacks were the most popular Valentine's Day gifts this year in China, according to data that Meituan, a delivery giant in the country, sent to Business Insider.
• As many people stay at home during the virus outbreak, the company has witnessed a huge increase in orders that have payers and receivers living in the same city but in different locations. Meituan called the phenomenon a "long-distance relationship in the same city."
• Popular delivery orders during the holiday have also changed from meals for two people to meals for one, according to Meituan.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Roses and date nights are supposed to be an unshakable tradition for Valentine's Day - until the deadly coronavirus shook things up, that is.

Special "bouquets" full of essential items like masks, thermometers, vegetables, and snacks took the top-seller crown from real flower bundles this year, according to data that Meituan, a delivery giant in China with 5.9 million partner retailers and 700,000 active couriers, sent to Business Insider.

Broccoli and cauliflower, both of which have the character that means "flower" in Chinese, became the most popular "flowers" during the holiday this year, the data showed. Snack "bouquets" took third place on the best-selling list.

Taobao

Many retailers were seen promoting their special "bouquet" products on Weibo, China's dominant social media platform, and Taobao, an e-commerce giant in the country.

Taobao

Retailers selling snack "bouquets" on Taobao, China's major e-commerce platform.

But among all of the unusual "bouquets," the ones made out of masks went most viral on China's social media. People raved about the idea on Weibo and WeChat, calling it "the best and dopest Valentine's Day present," and said "if you have a boyfriend who sent you this mask bouquet, go marry him!"

According to Meituan, the search volume for masks hit record highs this week. And besides the usual Valentine's Day notes like "I love you," a lot of customers are also writing "take care" and "stay healthy" in their gift order notes.

UUPaotui

A courier from UUPaotui, a company providing speedy delivery service in China, delivers a mask "flower bundle."

UUPaotui

A courier from UUPaotui, a company providing speedy delivery service in China, delivers a mask "flower bundle."

As many people stay at home during the virus outbreak to prevent person-to-person transmission, the delivery provider is also witnessing a surge in gift orders placed in different cities or at different locations from the ones on the delivery address.

The number of orders with payers and receivers living in the same city but in different places surged recently, according to Meituan, who called the phenomenon a "long-distance relationship in the same city."

Popular delivery orders during the holiday have also changed from meals for two people to meals for one, according to Meituan. Many people suggested on China's social media that couples order the same food and eat "together" via video chat to celebrate.