Southern metropolis to ease pressures of enterprises amid outbreak

Zhu Chaoyang lives in the village-in-city of Tangyan, located in downtown Shenzhen, Guangdong province, which was at the heart of a COVID-19 outbreak that started in late February.

Although the lockdown, which lasted over a month, severely affected the work of the automobile salesman, he felt relieved when he received 800 yuan ($126) from the local government on April 2, only two days after he submitted his personal information to apply for the pandemic-related subsidy.

"I couldn't believe I could get the money in such a short time. I was so happy," Zhu said. "The government subsidy comes as a godsend for us who were not able to work for such a long period."

Zhu is among millions of people in Shenzhen that are benefiting from the government's latest moves to help local residents and micro and small-sized enterprises weather difficulties amid the pandemic.

Since last month, Shenzhen's municipal and district-level governments have launched more than 170 measures to ease financial pressures among enterprises. Subsidies have also been handed out to residents living in villages-in-city that were locked down due to the outbreak.

"We have so far collected information of 319 micro and small-sized enterprises as well as individual businesses in the two villages of Chiwei and Shaputou. The information will be submitted to the district's industry and information technology department for processing," said an official surnamed Sheng from the enterprise services unit at Nanyuan subdistrict office under Futian district.

Eligible businesses that had been in lockdown for less than 29 days will be offered a one-off 5,000 yuan payout; those that had been closed down for 29 days or more will receive 10,000 yuan, she said, adding that the first batch of 20 businesses that submitted their information on March 31 had received the money on the same day.

Sheng said many of the businesses in the two villages-in-city are restaurants, secondhand home appliance shops, and convenience stores which are small in size and vulnerable to disruptions.

"The subsidy will help cover some of their economic losses due to the lockdown and alleviate their operating pressure," she said.

Zhang Minhua, who has been running a Hunan-style cuisine restaurant, said the distribution of the subsidy was "timely" and "effective".

"We rely on the restaurant to live, which is the only source of income for our family. We were in dire need of the money," she said, citing the expenses of rent and raising two kids.

"Government workers were very helpful. They visited us on-site to inform us of the preferential policies and teach us how to apply for the subsidy so that we can get it as soon as possible," she added.

Individuals living in villages-in-city in Futian district will each get a one-off 300 yuan subsidy if their neighborhoods were locked down for eight to 14 days and 500 yuan if lockdowns were between 15 and 28 days. Those who had been locked down for 29 days or more will receive 800 yuan per person.

So far, 4,000 residents in Chiwei village and 2,500 in Shaputou village have received the money since the government began the operation on the last day of March, according to a government worker surnamed Huang, who is in charge of the matter at Nanyuan subdistrict office.

Other districts in Shenzhen have also unveiled various measures to lift their businesses and people out of the difficult period, including the launch of consumption vouchers, rent concessions, tax cuts and interest subsidies.

Shenzhen reported one new locally transmitted asymptomatic COVID-19 case on Sunday. To reverse a rising COVID-19 trend, the city imposed a seven-day lockdown starting March 13.