Holiday extended for Hubei, other severely affected areas

China has greenlighted more a further extension to of the Spring Festival holiday for Hubei province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, and other provincial areas seeing quick spikes in new infections, to curb the virus' spread of the epidemic, a high-level meeting decided announced on Friday.

The meeting of the leading group of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on coping with the pneumonia-causing virus, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, stressed the importance of epidemic prevention and control for individuals returning from the holiday.

The State Council has already decided to extend the weeklong holiday, which sees hundreds of millions of people travel around the country for family reunions, from Jan 30 to Feb 2 to reduce population flows and curb the spread of the virus.

The Friday meeting has granted a further holiday extension to residents of Hubei, as well as those working in other areas but were who have been stranded in the province, said a statement released after the meeting read.

For areas seeing quick spikes in new infections, authorities can also delay the opening of businesses and schools after going through legal procedures, the statement said.

The meeting called for a quicker return to work for sectors producing medical resources that are desperately needed in the fight against the virus, or those related to the daily life of the public.

Institutions of higher education must avoid peak periods in opening starting new semesters, and it is important to ensure the normal order of transport and as well asits epidemic control, the statement saidgroup said.

To address the shortages of medical resources such as protection protective suits, the meeting called for heightened efforts to conduct unified production, dispatching and distribution of resources nationwide.

The government will prioritize support to key regions such as Wuhan, the statement said, adding that local authorities must not intercept the medical resources being dispatched nationwide.

The meeting group called for accurate and timely disclosure of information on the outbreak, saying that hiding or underreporting of infections will be notnot be tolerated.

It also highlighted the importance of more cooperation with the international community, saying adding that prevention and control measures must be further refined and more detailed to resolutely win the battle against the outbreak.