China must not relax epidemic control as flow of people increases: official

BEIJING -- China should stick to strict measures on epidemic prevention and control as the country resumes work and production and the flow of people increases, a health official warned Wednesday.

China shall continue implementing the measures of early detection, reporting, quarantine and medical treatment, said Mi Feng with the National Health Commission at a press conference.

"We must take strict measures to prevent imported COVID-19 cases from abroad and a rebound of the epidemic domestically," Mi stressed.

The virus-hit Hubei Province lifted outbound travel restrictions in all areas except the capital city Wuhan Wednesday, he said.

The commission received reports of 47 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Tuesday, all of which were imported.

By the end of Tuesday, a total of 474 imported cases had been reported.