China has introduced a series of measures to support cultural companies, performance venues, restaurants, entertainment and recreation industries, officials briefed media at the press conference of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council Wednesday afternoon.

At the conference, officials from the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the General Administration of Sports, briefed media on stepping up efforts to support the services sector, which has been severely affected by the novel coronavirus outbreak, including restaurant, travel, sports and recreation industries.

Services sector suffered, but new business triggered

According to Xian Guoyi, director of the Department of Service and Trade of the Ministry of Commerce, due to the epidemic, the income of hotels and restaurants has dropped sharply and businesses in the hospitality, catering sectors and relevant sectors have suffered from great pressure.

The central government then issued a series of policies and measures. For instance, some goods and services in the industries of accommodation, food and beverage have been exempted from VAT.

Many provincial and regional governments have also introduced supportive measures, some of which provided accommodation and catering companies with rent reduction and exemption, and some provided unemployment insurance and job security rebates, according to Xian.

He stressed that efforts to assist the industries that have been severely affected by the epidemic will be intensified.

The official also noted that the epidemic has triggered innovative business formats and major changes, such as the shift from offline to online business with newly developed digital and e-commerce platforms, the standardization of the services improved, and the merging and mutual support between sectors. Digital life services have seen an uplift.

The Ministry of Commerce will help these sectors realize digital development, and ensure relevant reform measures are placed so that these sectors can quickly recover from the epidemic, he said.

Funding and policy support both enhanced in culture sector

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, many arts and cultural institutions have canceled or postponed their performances, and the performance venues and theaters have closed. Recreational and entertainment venues have been closed over safety concerns during the control and prevention of the epidemic, according to Liu Kezhi, director of the Market Management Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The ministry has adopted supportive measures to bear out some difficult agencies, and collaborated with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Human Resource and Social Security, China Administration of Taxation, and People's Bank of China (PBoC) to work out these measures, including funding support, favored financial policies, reduction in taxation, reduction of costs, and streamlining government services, he said.

At the same time, the government enhanced funding support. On February 6, the ministry and the NPRC issued a plan with a larger than three billion yuan investment to support 343 infrastructure projects for tourism activities.

Noting that arts and cultural institutions, though physically closed, have offered more online services, such as exhibitions and theaters to provide rich cultural feast to the public, the official stressed that "they are closed offline but in full bloom online."

Resumption is based on local risk level

Liu also introduced the latest resumption measures regarding cultural sectors. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a guidance Tuesday on the gradual reopening of libraries and museums with the emphasis on the various approaches employed in different places based on their risk levels.

In high-risk-level places, the museums and libraries are remaining closed, while some institutes in places of the middle-or-lower risk levels can open with enhanced preparations to ensure the safety of staff and visitors.

For instance, the health status of the staff should be monitored, and protection equipment provided. In addition, the institutes should strengthen the management and services of the visitors by controlling visitor flow, monitoring temperatures, and keeping a safe social distance.

In principle, it is still suggested that lectures or performances, where there might be a higher density of people, should not be held in person, the official said.

(Cover image by Li Jingjie)