A woman poses for photos in a park in Zhangjiagang, a county-level city in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo by Sun Jun/chinanews.com]

The county-level city of Zhangjiagang in East China's Jiangsu province has released 10 measures to encourage residents to remain in the city as part of measures to combat the spread of COVID-19, according to a local news report on Jan 19.

Enterprises have been encouraged to make reasonable arrangements for production in order to ensure stable industrial and supply chains. A special fund of 20 million yuan ($3.09 million) will be allocated to enterprises for this purpose.

To encourage migrant workers in the city to stay put during the upcoming holidays, the government has also dished out incentives such as overtime pay, subsidies for employees who work during the holiday, free food and accommodation, free tickets to local scenic spots and holidays arranged for another time of the year.

Rent subsidies, and vocational training programs will also be provided to migrant workers who choose to stay at their workplace in Zhangjiagang during this year's Spring Festival.

The legal rights and interests of employees will be better protected. Employees who work on weekends and statutory holidays will get overtime wages, and enterprises are advised to adopt staggered vacation plans. 

Epidemic prevention and control materials including face masks will be offered to migrant workers. Free COVID-19 vaccines will be given to those who are among the priority groups, including those engaged in handling imported cold-chain products and people working in exposed sectors.

Governments at all levels will organize various activities during the festival. Companies have been encouraged to issue red envelopes, organize cultural and recreational activities, ensure vacations and other benefits to be preserved and raise salaries to motivate employees to stay in the city.