Wuhan residents are being paid to go out and spend...

After 76 days of total lockdown, the residents of Wuhan are now being encouraged to leave their homes and shop. And the local government is paying out tens of millions of dollars to get them to do just that.

Around $71m-worth of discount “consumption coupons” are being pumped into the city’s economy, issued to consumers digitally. The coupons, which are valid for a week, offer a range of discounts and can be redeemed in the city’s supermarkets, malls and convenience stores.

Authorities say retail sales, a major part of the local economy, plummeted by more than 42% in the first two months of the year.

It's hoped that the coupon scheme will provide the economy with the boost it needs to encourage consumers to resume normal spending habits.

Other Chinese cities and provinces have already launched similar schemes with the same aim of boosting spending in restaurants, shops and in tourism centres, and it will be interesting to see how these schemes do in the up and coming weeks, and whether they will help tackle consumer fears.

Do you think this will be something the UK should look to implement once we come out out of lockdown?