Zhoushan in East China's Zhejiang province rolled out 31 measures to maintain the sustainable growth of privately or individually owned businesses amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

There have been 11 measures to help reduce operating costs. Five involve subsidies, eight are financial support measures, and the remaining seven involve the improvement of the business environment.

For example, privately or individually owned businesses with monthly sales below 150,000 yuan ($23,000) are exempt from added-value taxes and housing rent.

Privately or individually owned businesses in the catering and accommodation sectors can enjoy a 50-percent discount on the testing fee for elevators and boilers, while those in other sectors can enjoy a 20-percent discount.

Privately or individually owned businesses in the catering sector can enjoy free physical exams at designated hospitals, while those demonstrating outstanding performance in the nighttime economy will receive rewards from the local government.

Zhoushan is currently home to 92,000 privately or individually owned businesses, accounting for 67 percent of its total market entities.

Due to COVID-19, the number of newly-established privately or individually owned businesses in the city was down 11.32 percent year-on-year in the first four months of the year to 4,839.