Guangdong added six new COVID-19 cases yesterday, all imported from overseas, four of which were in Guangzhou, and one each in Shenzhen and Foshan. Two cases were discharged. Among the 129 cases still in hospital (120 imported), 35 were light, 88 normal, 2 severe, and 4 critical, according to the Guangdong Health Commission.
Hong Kong confirmed 32 new cases today, taking the city’s total number to 714 (124 discharged), according to the Centre for Health Protection.
Call this a “whatever it takes” moment for China in its struggle to deal with the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak: On Friday, the Politburo said it plans to roll out a series of measures, including increasing the fiscal deficit as a share of GDP, issuing special treasury bonds, and ramping up special bonds for local governments. As Caixin notes in its analysis, these special T-bonds were used previously to recapitalize the banks in 1998, and to set up the sovereign wealth fund in 2007, i.e., they were used at times of urgent need.
Guangdong added 28 new COVID-19 cases over the weekend, all imported from overseas, 21 of which were in Guangzhou, five in Shenzhen, one each in Zhuhai and Foshan. Hospitals released 14 patients, but are still treating 125 (116 imported), of which 34 are light, 85 normal, 2 severe, and 4 critical. (Data: Guangdong Health Commission)
Hong Kong confirmed 123 new cases over the weekend, and another 41 today, taking the city’s total number to 682 (118 discharged). (Data: Centre for Health Protection)
Guangdong added 12 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, all imported from overseas, nine of which were in Guangzhou, and one each in Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Zhanjiang. One case was discharged. Among the 111 cases still in hospital (98 imported), 12 were light, 80 normal, 2 severe, and 7 critical, according to the Guangdong Health Commission.
Hong Kong confirmed 65 new cases today, its highest ever in one day, taking the city’s total number to 518 (111 discharged), according to the Centre for Health Protection. Among the new cases, 41 had a history of recent travel, including 14 students who returned from overseas.
Guangdong boosts SMEs: Guangdong’s governments at all levels are focused on getting SMEs back to full operation, according to local media. This includes handing out tax and fee cuts amounting to 140 billion yuan, paying subsidies of 5,000 yuan per worker hired, providing two years of social security subsidy for each college graduate hired, refunding social-security payments from January and February, sending trains and buses to pick up migrant workers, and holding online job fairs. SCN.
Guangzhou airport investment: Investment deals worth 47 billion yuan were signed yesterday in a ceremony for the “aerotropolis” being built around Guangzhou’s Baiyun International Airport. The airport also disclosed that growth in its cross-border e-commerce business had continued to grow sharply in January and February, albeit from small levels: 2.26 billion yuan and 12 million packages. CN.
Guangdong added 11 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, all imported from overseas, nine of which were in Guangzhou and two in Shenzhen. Two cases were discharged. Among the 100 cases still in hospital (86 imported), 19 were light, 74 normal, 0 severe, and 7 critical, according to the Guangdong Health Commission.
Hong Kong confirmed 43 new cases today, taking the city’s total number to 453 (106 discharged), according to the Centre for Health Protection.
Guangdong added five new COVID-19 cases yesterday, all imported from overseas, four of which were in Guangzhou and one in Shenzhen. One case was discharged. Among the 91 cases still in hospital (77 imported), 18 were light, 66 normal, 0 severe, and 7 critical, according to the Guangdong Health Commission.
Hong Kong confirmed 24 new cases today, including 19 who recently travelled abroad, taking the city’s total number to 410 (102 discharged), according to the Centre for Health Protection.
SZ dining resumes: Shenzhen’s bars and restaurants are now fully open again. To set the pace of recovery, two of its biggest districts, Luohu and Nanshan, have launched dining promotions, and their party secretaries have been publicly visible at lunch and dinner outings. SZN.
Hotels recover staff: Shenzhen’s hotel and catering industries are seeing strong growth in job applications again as the city’s migrant workers return. An online portal says the sector leads all others, with a 20% week-on-week jump in applications. SZN. However, most hotels’ banquet operations are likely to recover more slowly in the coming weeks. SZN.
HK property doldrums: Hong Kong’s property market is unlikely to repeat its V-shaped recovery of 2003 once the Covid-19 pandemic is over, as a critical lifeline is missing this time around – mainland Chinese tourists, companies and investors. SCMP.
Lenders, beware: Online lenders and other non-bank lenders are sinking into deep trouble across China, exposing the economy’s reliance on rising levels of consumer debt. SCMP.
Rebates boom: Guangdong has raised export-tax rebates which will affect US$6.17 billion of exports declared in 2019, resulting in 12,000 enterprises getting an additional 1.3 billion yuan of rebates paid this year. SCN.
SZ fashion: Shenzhen has released an ambitious blueprint to become a global fashion center. Through government support with subsidies, by 2024, Shenzhen is expected to be “Asia’s leading and world-renowned cutting-edge fashion industry capital.” Successful applicants will be able to get subsidies of up to 8 million yuan each for investment projects. SZN.
Guangshen upgrade: The entire Guangshen Expressway – the main artery linking Shenzhen, Dongguan and Guangzhou – will be rebuilt by 2026 into a 12-lane superhighway, the government has announced. SCN.
Digital currency ready? China’s sovereign digital currency is looking like it has finished its preliminary testing – much of which took place in Shenzhen – and is ready for rollout. But it needs some legal standing, first. Global Times.
Guangdong added 14 new COVID-19 cases imported from overseas, 12 of which were in Guangzhou, one in Shenzhen and one in Foshan. Foshan also had a case imported domestically from Hubei. One new patient was discharged. Among the 87 cases in hospital (73 imported), 17 were light, 62 normal, 1 severe, and 7 critical, according to the Guangdong Health Commission
Hong Kong confirmed 30 new cases today, including 19 who recently travelled abroad, taking the city’s total number to 386, according to the Centre for Health Protection.
Macau reported its 15th imported case, an Indonesian whose wife and child had previously been confirmed. All 15 are in hospital with mild conditions.
Across the rest of the country, 60 new imported cases were reported (31 in Beijing), according to the National Health Commission.
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