Wuhan to offer coupons to boost Spring Festival consumption

WUHAN, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The central Chinese city of Wuhan will provide people who stay put for the upcoming Spring Festival with coupons worth 100 million yuan (about 15.46 million U.S. dollars) to stimulate consumption, local authorities said on Sunday night.

The first batch of shopping coupons will be issued at 12 a.m. Monday on online platforms such as Alipay, WeChat and Meituan, and will be valid until the end of Feb. 16, said the city's bureau of commerce.

The coupons can be used for purchases at malls, supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants and cinemas in the city, with denominations ranging from eight yuan to 108 yuan.

The Spring Festival, which falls on Feb. 12 this year, usually sees hundreds of millions of Chinese head to their hometowns for family reunions. But this year, in light of sporadic resurgence of COVID-19 cases, many places across the country have encouraged residents and migrant workers to stay put for the festival amid efforts to reduce passenger flow.