City gives 20 days of paid leave to only children

Kunming, capital city of Southwest China's Yunnan province, has announced a maximum of 20 days' paid leave for those who are only children to care for their hospitalized parents, Yunnan Daily reported.

A regulation passed by the city's legislature on Dec 11 stipulates that employers should give their employees who are only children up to 20 days of "nursing leave" per year if either of their parents is hospitalized.

And employers should not deduct the salaries of the employees who avail themselves of such leave. Employees who are not only children in their families are granted 10 days of paid leave. The new regulation will take effect on Jan 1.

Kunming has a population of 1.11 million people aged above 60, and has seen an increase in problems brought by an aging population. To guarantee the implementation of the regulation, those who refuse to care for, or abuse and abandon their elderly parents will be recorded in the social credit system and might be put on lists restricting them from taking trains and flights or getting loans from banks.

At present, at least 18 provincial-level regions in China have rolled out regulations to offer paid leave ranging from 10 to 20 days for those who are only children to care for hospitalized parents. Some regions also allow adults with siblings to take paid leave when their parents are hospitalized, but only for shorter periods.