Epidemic prevention and control
Since the omicron outbreak, China has stepped up prevention and control measures. Due to the need for epidemic prevention and control, some regions have implemented "location code" scanning registration. In public places, people are strictly required to measure temperature, scan codes, check personal health codes and wear masks. The role of location codes is to track people who may be at risk and avoid the spread of the epidemic. In the face of the virus, the public also consciously abides by the epidemic prevention measures.Under strict measures, the epidemic has been suppressed. However, it has brought many challenges to the operating status of small and medium-sized enterprises.For the operators, it is a challenge for the survival of the enterprise, and for the staff, it is a challenge for the source of income.（Foshan , 21 May 2022）
Closed-off management
The use of location codes enables the outbreak to be brought under control quickly. Each person's movement trajectory will be uploaded to the system. Whenever an epidemic occurs, the health code system will quickly screen out areas that are at risk. Government officials will quickly seal off at-risk areas to prevent the spread of the virus. This is an emergency, and people may be locked in a designated area without their knowledge. For those who are blocked, they have no choice but to stay in place and wait for the unblocking. This will undoubtedly have a certain impact on their work, but in the face of the virus, they can only obey the arrangements.（Foshan , 21 May 2022）
Epidemic propaganda is everywhere
Epidemic prevention and control have become normal things. Epidemic propaganda can be seen everywhere, calling on people to maintain social distance, wear masks, and take self-protection measures. At the same time, people are reminded to prohibit spitting, improve personal hygiene awareness, and prevent the spread of the virus. Compared with other countries, China's epidemic control has indeed achieved good achievements.But despite this, most cities in China have not escaped Omicron's attack, including first-tier cities such as Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen. The implementation of the closure measures will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the economy, causing a series of chain reactions.（Foshan , 21 May 2022）
People queue up for Covid testing
On May 15, two cases of Omicron virus were found in Foshan. The local government immediately required people in the city to carry out nucleic acid testing. To enable people to complete nucleic acid testing quickly, more than 300 nucleic acid testing places have been set up in the city. And I have also completed nucleic acid testing in my community in case my health green code turns yellow. The local government announced through a WeChat post on May 17 that citizens must have a negative nucleic acid result after May 15 to enter public places. Therefore, every time a case is discovered, it will bring great inconvenience to people's lives. Because China has always maintained a "zero" attitude towards the epidemic.（Foshan , 15 May 2022）
A mall with almost no customers
The sudden outbreak of the epidemic has brought a certain degree of a blow to the store. At noon, there are only a few sparse customers in a large shopping mall. People choose not to go to crowded places, which leads to a serious loss of customers in shopping malls. According to the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the total value of the retail sales of goods fell by 9.7%, and the total value of the catering industry fell by 22.7% since April. And merchants are facing the challenge of survival during the pandemic, as they have to bear the pressure from rent and employee expenses.（Foshan , 26 May 2022）
Quiet Industrial park
Several of China's largest industrial cities are currently fighting the epidemic, and these measures have brought negative developments to factories and transportation networks that are the backbone of China's manufacturing industry. A series of problems such as raw material interruption, supply chain shortage, and rising transportation costs have brought a serious blow to small and medium-sized enterprises. Foshan is also a manufacturing city, but it is unusually quiet in one of the industrial parks. There are nearly 15 knitted garment enterprises here. However, there are no trucks transporting goods in the park, and it is as quiet as if all the enterprises have closed down.（Foshan , 22 May 2022）
Transportation difficulties
China's increasingly stringent new crown epidemic prevention measures are further disrupting the supply chain of goods in different industries. A growing number of cities in China are requiring truck drivers to undergo daily nucleic acid tests for cross-city transport or to quarantine drivers deemed at risk of infection. These measures limit the speed at which drivers can move parts between factories and goods from workshops to ports. In Foshan, checkpoints have been set up at every expressway intersection. Staff inspect trucks from other places every day and require drivers to do nucleic acid tests on the spot.（Foshan , 21 May 2022）
Factory stop production
Shaoqiao Tan is the owner of a knitting factory. Business at her factory has also been hit hard by the outbreak."From November 2021, orders began to decline. In order to reduce employee salary expenses, the New Year's holiday had to start in November earlier.
I thought the business would improve after the New Year's holiday, but it has continued to this day. And I am not an exception, the whole knitted garment industry is in a tragic situation. This year has been the worst year for business in my more than 20 years in the business. The goal this year is not to make more money, but to work hard to keep the factory running，" she said.（Foshan , 22 May 2022）
I thought the business would improve after the New Year's holiday, but it has continued to this day. And I am not an exception, the whole knitted garment industry is in a tragic situation. This year has been the worst year for business in my more than 20 years in the business. The goal this year is not to make more money, but to work hard to keep the factory running，" she said.（Foshan , 22 May 2022）
A warehouse full of goods
Due to the impact of the epidemic, the decline in factory orders has led to production shutdowns, and the rise in transportation costs has caused goods to pile up in warehouses because there is no demand. "Now there are thousands of tons of fabrics accumulated in the warehouse of my factory, and there is no demand in the market, which has led to a backlog in the warehouse. Our income has also been greatly reduced.We don't know when things will get better, but we can only do our best to keep going， "Shaoqiao Tan said.（Foshan , 22 May 2022）
A sparsely populated office
Under the influence of the epidemic, operators are under pressure such as rent and employee salaries. In order to reduce expenses, many small and medium-sized enterprises have laid off staff. Since the intensification of the epidemic, China's unemployment rate has reached 5.8%, the highest in the past two years. Minnie Mao, an employee of a clothing company, said: "The company announces a batch of layoffs almost every week. I watched my colleagues leave one by one, and I don't know when it will be my turn."（Foshan , 23 May 2022）
