In response, local authorities have adopted strict measures to contain the outbreaks.
Indeed, the government has been introducing policies to strengthen the job market, including reducing taxes and fees for enterprises ever since the pandemic broke out in early 2020, so that employers do not lay off workers and instead hire new recruits. According to this year's Government Work Report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the annual session of the National People's Congress in March, the amount of tax and fees businesses were exempted from paying last year totaled an additional 1 trillion yuan . And from April 1, the government has been implementing 2.5 trillion yuan tax refund plan nationwide, apart from allowing micro and small enterprises in manufacturing and coal sectors to defer their tax payments.
Given the highly contagious Omicron variant and sporadic outbreaks, working from home and flexible working schedules should be more widely applied. And the financial and the real estate sectors should consider introducing some relief measures such as offering people discounts on loans, mortgages and rents or extending their payment period.