Local governments and enterprises across China have recently rolled out different favorable measures to encourage workers to stay where they currently live and work instead of returning to their hometowns for the Spring Festival, Chinanews.com reported on Jan. 13.

These measures include offering subsidies and rewards, shopping vouchers, free entrance to tourist attractions, and extra points for the points-based household registration system.

Due to the recent sporadic cases of COVID-19 and the pressure on epidemic control and prevention during the winter, the country is requiring workers to reduce traveling and gathering during the upcoming Spring Festival, so as to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

File photo shows tourists wearing masks, walking out of Beijing West Railway Station. (Photo/Chinanews.com)

This call was promptly responded to by local governments of all levels. They came up with multiple preferential policies to encourage workers to stay in their local region during the period, which usually involves the biggest annual migration across the country.

Quanzhou city in southeast China’s Fujian province offers a “red envelope” of 200 yuan (about $30.9) for members of the workers’ union who are not Quanzhou natives and stay in the city from Feb. 11 to Feb. 17. They can receive the money with their ID and other materials online. 

The city is offering some subsidies to non-Fujian workers from enterprises above designated size, trade enterprises above designated size and key projects under construction above municipal level. It also shows special care to non-Quanzhou workers whose family are in difficulty, by giving each household 1,000 yuan.

Taizhou city in east China’s Zhejiang province is offering two types of rewards to migrant workers of certain enterprises. Those eligible may get as much as 380 yuan per person.

Similarly, Fenghua district of Ningbo city in the province will provide a cash reward of 500 yuan for each migrant workers in private companies, and Wuxing district of Huzhou city of Zhejiang will offer 1,000 yuan to each of the non-local workers of sites under construction.

File photo shows check-in hall of Harbin Taiping International Airport in Harbin city, capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang province. (Photo/Chinanews.com)

Lishui Economic Development Zone in the province will offer both overtime and meal allowance for eligible workers for the entire month of February.

Apart from the allowances and rewards, many places have come up other ways.

Fenghua district will issue 500-yuan shopping vouchers and 210-yuan tickets for Fenghua’s Xikou Scenic Area.

Quanzhou will offer free bus rides and admissions to A-level tourist attractions, while Taizhou will offer a free mobile internet plan with 10GB of data.

Taizhou and Xiuzhou district of Jiaxing city in Zhejiang will also reward eligible migrant workers with an extra 5 points in the points-based household registration system and points-based system for their children’s schooling.

Some enterprises are also introducing favorable measures. In Xiamen, another city of Fujian, Xiamen Biotime Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is allocating 30 million yuan plus rewards for non-local workers who will remain in the city, which is 5,000 yuan per person.

Workers of Zhejiang Tianpai Knitting Co. Ltd. who stay in the factory during the Spring Festival will get free meals and a pay as high as two to three times of their regular pay from Feb. 8 to Feb. 18. The workers who choose to work on Feb. 11 and Feb. 12 will receive an extra allowance of 1,000 yuan per day.

Therefore, many workers have made up their mind to stay. “Considering the recurrence of COVID-19 cases and the good policy of the company, I decide to stay where I am for the holiday,” a worker said.