Page 167 - GHES-2-2

Global Health Econ Sustain An analysis of national economic resilience

GDP decreased sharply since the first quarter of 2020, and the public for free, and local governments provided hotel
fell to the bottom in the second quarter, lower than that of and restaurant subsidies for tourists.
the secondary industry. It showed a V-shaped rebound in Similarly, the Chinese spring festival is also a “golden
the third quarter of 2020, mainly due to the resumption time” for transportation, warehousing, and post industry,
of work and operation in service industries, and then which has also suffered a serious impact in the epidemic
recovered to original level in the third quarter of 2021. (Figure 9). The closure policy directly rendered this
As the impact of the epidemic on the secondary industry industry stagnant, because according to the requirements
was less than that of the tertiary industry, the contribution of the government, all transportation services must cease
rate of the secondary industry surpassed that of the tertiary
industry and jumped to the first, but the added value of the
secondary industry showed a year-on-year negative growth.
In the second quarter of 2021, although the contribution
rate of the secondary industry fell back to the original level,
the added value achieved a continuous rise, which was due
to the general resumption of work and production of most
manufacturing enterprises. The contribution rate of the
secondary industry fell back to a normal level, reflecting
the basic recovery of economic development and structure
after the impact of the COVID-19.
The primary industry is relatively less affected by the
COVID-19 than the other two industries (Figure 7). The Figure 7. Contribution of the three industries to gross domestic product
primary industry was restrained due to the difficulties in
purchasing raw materials and the closure of trading venues,
due to the strict closure policies. To ensure food supply,
Chinese government supported agricultural production
and opened up online sales channels, which greatly
alleviated the pressure of the primary industry. Therefore,
there is no significant change in the contribution rate of the
primary industry to GDP during the epidemic.

5.2.2. Severe impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic on
some industries
The COVID-19 epidemic also had a negative impact
on accommodation and catering industry in China
(Figure 8). The outbreak of COVID-19 coincided with Figure 8. Added value and growth rate of accommodation and catering
the Chinese spring festival, which is a “golden time” for industry
the accommodation and catering industry. However, the
strict closure policy made almost all restaurants and hotels
closed, so that the spring festival did not play its due role
in stimulating the development of accommodation and
catering industry. To alleviate the impact of the epidemic
on this industry, local governments took a set of measures
including extending the tax deadline, reducing taxes, and
providing low interest loans. Thus, the year-on-year growth
rate returned to positive in the fourth quarter of 2020
and reached 43.70% in the second quarter of 2021. There
are three main reasons: first, the epidemic was basically
controlled; second, people need to release their depressed
emotions through tourism after months of closure; and
third, the tourism service policies launched by local Figure 9. Added value and growth rate of transportation, warehousing,
governments. For example, most scenic spots were open to and post industry

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 9 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.1842