China urges local governments to minimize the impact of COVID-19 cuts in the New Moon

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s state planner on Sunday called on local governments to reduce the impact of COVID-19 cuts on the upcoming New Moon holiday to help boost consumption as cases of rising Omicron threats threaten economic growth.

“Local governments should avoid one-size-fits-all … COVID-19 epidemic and control measures (holidays) and minimize their impact on the lives of citizens,” the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement.

China’s low-risk places meet the reasonable demand for short trips by urban and rural residents and increase the supply of daily products during the holidays.

China has reported local cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant in at least five provinces and municipalities, including the first infection in the capital Beijing on Saturday, just weeks before the Winter Olympics in February.

Local governments are on high alert for potential cases of COVID-19 coming from outside, and many are urging residents to stay for the third year in a row while it is the busiest trip of the year.

The Chinese economy is likely to grow at a slow pace in 1-1 / 2 in the fourth quarter due to weaker demand due to declining ownership, debt cuts and drastic COVID-19 measures.

The NDRC said on Sunday that it supports the healthy development of the real estate market and the legal demand for home buyers, and called on local governments to step up their oversight of unfair competition and other monopolistic behavior during the holidays.

“The measures are aimed at further unleashing the potential of consumer spending and encouraging a steady start to economic growth in the first quarter,” the NDRC said.