East China's Anhui Province has announced it will try to implement a more flexible working schedule including a 2.5-day weekend to stimulate consumption curtailed by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Employees in the province are encouraged to go on vacation during the extended weekends and the upcoming May Day holiday, according to an announcement co-issued by the provincial department of culture and tourism and the provincial emergency headquarters on epidemic prevention and control.

Scenic spots in the province are also asked to provide discounted tickets to tourists and offer travel vouchers to employees according to their own situations.

The provincial capital Hefei on Wednesday also decided to hand out coupons worth 100 million yuan (around 14 million U.S. dollars) to its residents to boost consumption of retail, automobiles and household appliances.