Sirui Liu

With China still fighting scattered outbreaks of the coronavirus, the government is strongly urging people not to travel during the upcoming Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival holiday. Various cities are trying to encourage more people to stay home, offering prizes and money to ease the homesickness. Lu Sirui has more from Shenzhen.

Xiao Gang works for a phone manufacturer in Shenzhen. Recently, he won 200 yuan or 29 US dollars in a digital lottery organized by local officials for migrant workers staying in town for the Spring Festival. He bought some snacks with his winnings to share his luck with his other colleagues.

XIAO GANG Migrant worker, TECNO "It's a pity that I can't go home this year. After all, it is tradition that one should return home for the Chinese New Year no matter what."

But Xiao's family is in Huangshi, Hubei Province. A year ago, more than a thousand COVID-19 infections were recorded there. This makes him more vigilant to the virus.

XIAO GANG Migrant worker, TECNO "With negative results from my nucleic acid test, I can return home. But there are too many things out of my control. If there's one case that pops up on my way back, and I happen to be in close contact, I might be trapped in quarantine for more than 20 days. So I don't want to take the risk. I also think my company will give good incentives to those who stay put. So I decided to stay."

At his company, more than half of the staff from his company chose not to travel to their hometowns. Tecno has something special in store for Xiao and his fellow workers this Spring Festival.

WEN SHUISHENG General Manager, TECNO "We will give subsidies to those who stay at around 4,000 yuan per person. On top of their salaries, we will add more than one thousand yuan to each employee that works during the holiday."

But for some, they'll take their chances rather than miss out on a cherished family tradition of reunion dinner for Chinese New Year. Weng Tianhua, is looking forward to going home on February 6th. He hasn't been home since last year.

WENG TIANHU Migrant worker, TECNO "I have always come home around this time. My mom would always say, 'Why are you so skinny? Other people's kids are so big, but why are you so skinny?' I miss hearing her say this. I just want to go home and cook a dish that my wife and my parents like. It's challenging for my wife to raise our baby alone. My parents have devoted so much taking care of me as I grew up. So I just need this little time with them, comforting them and making sure they are well. Then I can come back to work without worries. This is the life I want."

Local authorities, however, know that more workers will heed the call to stay put, thus they are issuing other incentives to thank them for sacrificing their family time.

ZHANG NASHA Executive Deputy District Mayor of Longhua District, Shenzhen "We will deduct some rent for those who stay in Shenzhen, and give them free access to some public transport. We will also give their children some winter-break classes. I hope they can have a happy and peaceful Spring Festival."

LU SIRU Shenzhen "Chinese authorities have rolled out a series of plans to ensure the well-being of people who choose to stay put for the festival. Whether it can actually make up for missed reunions is unclear. But what is clear is how much people are willing to do in their own part in stopping the pandemic.

Read the original story here.