Photo taken on Aug. 15, 2021 shows a view of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province. Photo: Xinhua

The local government in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang Province, which is experiencing a flare-up of COVID-19 infections, issued a notice late Tuesday encouraging employees to remain in place over China's upcoming Spring Festival holidays, while firms are aiming to seize the opportunity to ramp up production.

As an incentive to keep workers in Ningbo during the holidays which falls between January 31 and February 6 in 2022, firms are encouraged to take measures such as offering "retention red envelopes," guaranteeing accommodation, and improving meals provided to staff.

Non-local frontline staff who work in larger industrial firms and major project construction firms between January 26 and February 10, the length of Chinese New Year, will be provided with special subsidies, equal to 100 yuan ($15.71) per person per day, with the maximum per person not exceeding 500 yuan.

To ensure a safe production environment, the local government will encourage enterprises aiming to meet deadlines, or engaged in major construction projects, to plan ahead and adjust their production capacity arrangements for the first quarter of next year.

For manufacturing enterprises (excluding state-owned ones) with a total industrial output value of more than 10 million yuan in the first quarter of 2021, should their total industrial output value in the first quarter of 2022 increase by 10 percent or more on a yearly basis, they will be eligible for a reward of 10,000 yuan for each incremental increase of 10 million yuan, which will be capped at a maximum of 500,000 yuan.

Rewards aside, the local government will also support labor recruitment and lowering costs, including tax liabilities, according to the notice.

The number of job fairs will be increased both before and after the holidays, including 10 job fairs for labor cooperation outside Ningbo to meet firms' urgent need for labor.

Zhejiang reported 45 new local COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including 6 in Ningbo and 39 in Shaoxing.