Han Ximin ximhan2126.com THE Shenzhen Municipal Industry and Information Bureau unveiled a package of measures including exemption from paying basic electricity fees and subsidies for loans and the production of epidemic prevention and control materials to relieve the burden on enterprises and promote work resumption. Industrial and commercial users across the city will be exempted 690 million yuan (US$98 million) in basic electricity fees in February. The fees will be paid by the city’s finance departments to power supply companies to offset costs. To encourage technical upgrading at epidemic prevention and control materials production plants, the bureau will offer subsidies at 50 percent of the cost of equipment and facilities that enterprises purchase between Feb. 1 and March 31 for the production of epidemic prevention and control materials such as protective clothing, face masks, test kits, disinfectants and temperature-reading devices. The subsidy is capped at 20 million yuan per individual enterprise. Six-month subsidies for new loans that small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) obtain from banks between Feb. 1 and April 30 will be offered. The subsidy is 50 percent of loan interest and is capped at 1 million yuan per individual enterprise. SMEs in Shenzhen with business revenue of more than 100 million yuan in the past year, especially those engaged in the production, transportation and sale of medical materials and life necessities for epidemic prevention and control, can apply for cash support from Shenzhen Hi-Tech Investment Group and Shenzhen Credit Guarantee Group to solve cash flow difficulties. In the transport sector, airline companies and railway operators are gradually resuming work and offering chartered services to carry workers back into the city to work. On Saturday night, high-speed train G839, carrying 320 workers from Shaanxi Province, arrived at Shenzhen North Railway Station, becoming the first chartered train for returning workers after the Spring Festival holiday. China Southern Airlines offers chartered flights between Shenzhen, Guiyang, Yiwu, Nanchong, Luzhou, Luoyang, Changde, Hanzhong and Zunyi. | 