URUMQI, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has announced a slew of measures to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) resume operations amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Charter buses will be arranged to help workers return to workplaces and online recruitment programs will be launched to ensure labor supply for SMEs in the region, according to the regional government.

In terms of fiscal and financial support, financial institutions have been asked to extend the payment deadline of debt and lower loan interest rates to those promising SMEs hit hard by the outbreak.

The region will also help SMEs with supplies of raw material and virus-control equipment and extend the payment deadline for their utility bills.

SMEs contribute significantly to Xinjiang's job market, economic development and campaign to alleviate poverty. By the end of 2019, Xinjiang had over 330,000 SMEs, more than 99 percent of the total, which employ about 80 percent of the total labor force working in enterprises in the region, according to the regional government.