Beijing offers aid for small enterprises, WFH personnel

Beijing carried out more detailed measures for people who have to work from home in order to curb the virus' spread and rolled out preferential policies for affected companies to overcome difficulties during the epidemic on Thursday.

People in Chaoyang district and other areas affected by public transportation adjustments started working from home on Thursday, the first workday after the May Day holiday, which was required by the municipal government on Wednesday.

Chaoyang, with a population of around 3.5 million, is the hardest-hit area in Beijing during the latest outbreak, reporting a total 220 cases as of 3 pm on Thursday.

"State-owned organizations, institutions and enterprises, as well as large-scale companies in Chaoyang and other lockdown, controlled and precautionary zones in the city should keep more than half of their employees working from home," Tian Wei, an official from Beijing's information office, said at a news conference on Thursday afternoon.

Other staff in commercial and office buildings should all work from home, he added.

People who work in urban operations, public service and epidemic control and prevention should continue to work, while traveling only from home to work.

All indoor entertainment venues, gyms and training institutions have suspended operations.

The city authority made it clear employees who work from home should not be paid lower than Beijing's minimum wage.

The government has also offered policies to help companies with financial difficulties.

Service companies, small and micro businesses or individually owned business that rent State-owned real estate will be exempted of rents this year, according to Tian.

The city government encouraged other real estate owners to cut rents for small and micro businesses to assist their operations during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Contact the writer at dujuan@chinadaily.com.cn