Beijing to help small and micro businesses

Beijing will cut six months' rent for the enterprises or individually-owned business that rent the State-owned real estate properties in medium- and high-risk areas in order to help the small and micro businesses during the COVID-19 epidemic, a senior official of the city said on Friday.

Dai Ying, deputy director and spokeswoman of Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission, said at a news conference held on Friday, that enterprises or individually-owned business registered in Beijing or paying taxes in Beijing will be exempted of three months' rent if they have rented State-owned properties. Among them, those in the medium and high-risk areas can have six months' rent reduction.

On the tax reduction part, small- and medium-sized technology enterprises in the city will enjoy more preferential policies.

In terms of reducing enterprises' anti-pandemic costs, the government will offer free regular nucleic acid testing for the staff members in small- and medium-sized enterprises in several sectors, such as catering, delivery and cold-chain imports. All the charges will be covered by medical health care insurance fund and urban fiscal expenditures.

Beijing reported one locally transmitted confirmed case between 4 pm Thursday and 4 pm Friday in Chaoyang district.

Yao Yuxin contributed to this story.