Employers should pay salaries in accordance with applicable regulations to employees who are COVID-19 patients, asymptomatic carriers of the COVID virus, suspected cases or close contacts when they need isolated treatment or medical observation, according to an official of the Shenzhen Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.
Wu Junjun, deputy head of the bureau, said at a press conference yesterday that employers should pay the corresponding salaries if they arrange for quarantined employees to provide labor via telephone or the internet.
Employees are eligible for pay if their employers arrange for them to use paid annual leave and other types of leave.
If employees are unable to provide normal labor through other means and have not taken leave, they should consult with their employers about salary payment according to relevant rules.
If employees’ legitimate rights and interests are violated during the epidemic, they can call 12345 or report illegal practices to the authorities, according to Wu.
Wu said that Shenzhen has continued to relieve businesses of their burdens and expects to save 1.95 billion yuan (US$300 million) in their unemployment and industrial injury insurance costs.
Shenzhen will also keep returning unemployment insurance premiums to businesses this year, focusing on providing more support to micro, small, and medium-sized firms. The funds’ annual return is expected to exceed 2.5 billion yuan.
Wu added that Shenzhen will boost its support for entrepreneur-guaranteed loans and plans to increase the loans’ capital pool for micro and small businesses to 4 billion yuan this year. The city will also continue to offer discounted interest rates to alleviate these companies’ financial difficulties.