Shanghai officials vow to balance economy, public health
Members of the International Business Leaders’ Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai put forward advice at a meeting with Shanghai government officials on Friday as more companies are expected to resume operation.
Shanghai officials pledged to balance quarantine measures and to reduce economic impact amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Vice Mayor Xu Kunlin said the Shanghai government strives to resolve urgent issues when companies are resuming operations and to limit the economic impact brought by the epidemic as much as possible, on top of making sure quarantine rules are strictly implemented.
Members of the International Business Leaders’ Advisory Council for the Mayor of Shanghai put forward advice as more companies are expected to resume operation.
The city also pledges to connect upstream and downstream industries to ensure product deliveries, including to overseas clients.
"We're working to guarantee every detail when it comes to issues that involve companies' various demands while they seek to resume normal business operation," said Xu.
"Coordination mechanisms have been set up involving relevant authorities and industry regulatory bodies in order to solve specific issues case by case and item by item," said Shang Yuying, the city's deputy secretary general.
Shang Yuying, Shanghai's vice secretary general, and Vice Mayor Xu Kunlin attend the conference on helping multanational companies resume their business operation amid the outbreak of coronavirus.
L'Oreal China Vice President Lan Zhenzhen said that capacity at the company's Suzhou factory was restored to 70 percent of the normal level and it also managed to maintain online sales for personal care and beauty products.
Currently about 10 percent of office staff have returned to its headquarters office in the Park Place in Jing'an District.
Yin Xudong, head of Novartis Pharmaceuticals (Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa) and President of Novartis Group (China), has proposed waiving the restriction on community hospitals’ drug list to prescribe drugs for chronic diseases. Patients should also be encouraged to buy drugs from nearby pharmacies or online platforms to reduce their visits to hospitals, he added.
Allianz said it hopes the adoption of digital insurance statements will reduce face to face contact with customers. It has two-thirds of its employees working remotely.
It has also set up online insurance claim platforms especially for those in urgent demand, said deputy general manager Sun Lei at Allianz (China) Insurance Holdings.
The Shanghai transport authority has issued more than 30,000 transport permits for trucks within the Yangtze River Delta region to operate.
The city plans to support hiring activities in neighboring cities to tackle labor shortages as job seekers have been advised not to come to the city due to epidemic prevention and control rules.
More than 80 percent of staff at CP Lotus have returned to work at about 20 outlets in the city and normal operations and supplies have been restored, says Song Qinglu, head of CP Lotus north China region. Online sales accounted for more than 20 percent of overall sales as it works with delivery platforms to reduce customers' visits to supermarkets.
General Motors and energy distributor ENGIE are among manufacturers that said their production capacity have been limited due to restrictions to bring spare parts to Shanghai from domestic suppliers.
Others also called for solutions for transportation restrictions to ensure supply of raw materials and spare parts and to fulfill orders especially those for overseas destinations.
