【明報專訊】THE GOVERNMENT has launched the second round of the "Employment Support Scheme" (ESS) under the "Anti-epidemic Fund" to help employers meet salary obligations. Two major supermarket chains and big property management companies have to accept extra conditions, such as providing discounts for customers or rebates for property owners, in order to apply for subsidies under the scheme. Amid the pandemic, the weakening Hong Kong economy has put many companies under the strain of job cuts and closures. The ESS's purpose is to safeguard jobs by subsidising beleaguered companies' expenditures on salaries. The scheme is so designed that applications can be processed quickly and easily, hence the low threshold. But its implementation and operation could result in controversies like unfair treatment. Some companies that have applied for anti-pandemic subsidies have only suffered mild losses. It is reasonable for the authorities to require them to take on more social responsibilities.