WUHAN, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Central China's Hubei Province, once hit hard by COVID-19, will introduce 25 measures to boost consumption and promote economic growth, according to a notice released by the provincial government on Friday.

  The measures cover seven aspects, including reducing operating costs for businesses, creating a sound consumption environment, stimulating spending in automobile and home appliances sectors, and encouraging innovation among enterprises, the notice said.

  Catering companies will be allowed to set up dining tables outdoors in designated times and areas, and large shopping malls and supermarkets will be permitted to launch promotions temporarily on roadsides.

  In the meantime, the province encourages qualified regions to formulate supporting policies for the sales of new Hubei-made cars, introduce incentives to encourage consumers to replace old home appliances and electronics with new products, and provide customers with coupons to stimulate consumption.

  In 2019, the total retail sales of consumer goods in Hubei exceeded 2 trillion yuan (about 282 billion U.S. dollars), but the COVID-19 epidemic has taken a heavy toll on the province's consumption, especially in accommodation, catering, tourism, and automobile sales.

  Source: Xinhua