BEIJING — Beijing will issue shopping coupons for residents who answer the government's call to stay put in the city during the Spring Festival, the city government said on Jan 27.

The Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, usually sees hundreds of millions of Chinese head to their hometowns to unite with families. But this year, with a COVID-19 case rebound, the Chinese capital has asked residents in certain areas not to leave the city and others to avoid unnecessary outbound travels.

The Beijing municipal government has rolled out measures to ensure those who stay in the city enjoy the festival, city government spokesperson Xu Hejian said at a press conference on Jan 27.

The city's supermarkets, major commercial complexes, vegetable markets, and courier stations will operate normally during the festival. Museums, theaters, and parks will open "in an orderly manner" with reservation requirements and flow limits in place, Xu said.

Apart from vouchers, whose values were not specified, mobile phone users in Beijing are eligible for receiving 20G free data packages for use in the city during the festival, the official said.

The Spring Festival falls on Feb 12 this year.

Beijing reported four new locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and one asymptomatic infection on Jan 26, the municipal health commission said. It added that all of the confirmed cases occurred in a residential community in Daxing district, where a number of cases had emerged lately.