BEIJING — About 72 percent of the 45 major chain catering brands in Beijing had resumed operations as of April 27, local authorities said on April 28.

Beijing has rolled out a spate of policies to support catering enterprises, which were hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic, Liu Meiying, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, told a press briefing.

The capital has cut rents by up to 70 percent for key chain restaurants, food shops, convenience stores and other outlets that are severely affected by the virus outbreak or those that have ensured the basic livelihood of citizens in the epidemic prevention and control work, Liu said.

According to the official, Beijing has also set up a green channel to help the needed in the fight against the epidemic.

To better meet the needs of the public, the city has been promoting online orders and delivery services to expand the sales channels to the largest extent, Liu added.

With more people eating out as the virus outbreak has been basically contained, Beijing will promote "safe restaurants" meeting certain qualifications, Liu Yuchi, executive vice president of Beijing Cuisine Association, said on April 28.

According to Liu, the "safe restaurants" are those with complete licenses and operate for more than a year, with no serious bad credit records in the past year. These restaurants have to implement the epidemic prevention and control requirements and their employees need to take body temperatures daily.