Beijing Frees 6 Months Of Business Place Rent For MSMEs

Restaurants and cafes in the Sanlitun international shopping district, Beijing, China (Via ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Chaoyang District Authority, Beijing, China, reduced or waived business premises fees for micro, small, and medium scale trade and service providers for six months.

This is an effort to ease their burden in the midst of a partial lockdown.

The fee waiver only applies to tenants of premises managed by the state. "For owners of premises that are not state-owned enterprises, it is recommended to reduce or waive rental fees during the partial lockdown," the Choayang District authority announced.

The policy is an effort so that residents in the largest and most inhabited districts of foreign nationals work from home.

The local city authority also covers the insurance for workers in the MSME sector who stop production for 100 yuan or around IDR 216 thousand per person per day for a maximum of 21 days.

A number of businesses, such as restaurants, sports and fitness centers, body care centers, karaoke, cafes, bars, cinemas, libraries, art galleries, and museums in the Chaoyang District were temporarily closed.

Chaoyang is the district hardest hit by the latest wave of COVID-19. In more than a week, the City of Beijing reported 137 positive cases of COVID-19.

Several areas, including office and business centers, have also been in lockdown for nearly three weeks.

Beijing residents are also required to carry out mass PCR tests. Initially, the PCR test was only required twice a week, then it was increased to once every two days, and now every day.

In addition to densely populated residential areas, PCR tests can also be carried out independently for a fee scattered in various locations.

The Indonesian Embassy in Beijing also brings in local health workers every day to take samples from the Indonesian Embassy staff and their families.