A woman purchases red envelopes at the annual Lunar New Year Flower Festival 2020 in Westminster, the United States, Jan. 11, 2020. The Flower Festival, which is held from Jan 3 to Jan 23, draws thousands of people every day to shop flowers and gifts, celebrating the upcoming Lunar New Year. Photo:Xinhua

Dongguan in South China's Guangdong Province said it will issue red envelopes worth a total of 500 million yuan ($78.88 million) for non-local employees who choose to stay in the city during the upcoming Spring Festival holidays, joining other cities making similar offers amid the latest Omicron outbreak. 

Dongguan, as a major manufacturing base, has more than 190,000 industrial firms. The red envelopes will be dispatched via digital vouchers, with each person getting 500 yuan. Foreigners can also get the benefit.

As the biggest festival in China, Spring Festival usually sees the world's largest human migration as people across the country travel back home to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year with family and friends.

Various provinces and municipalities, including Beijing, Shanghai and East China's Zhejiang Province have issued notices to encourage local residents to avoid travel and stay put during the holidays as several cities have seen new COVID-19 outbreaks.

Previously, Suzhou in East China's Jiangsu Province gave a subsidy of 500 yuan per person, encouraging non-local employees to stay in the city during the holiday season.