The Chinese authorities emphasized efforts of epidemic prevention and control amid people's return trips after the Lunar New Year holiday, at a meeting on novel coronavirus prevention and control on Friday.

The meeting, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, noted that the prevention and control among returning travelers were important as the Lunar New Year holiday draws to a close.

Formal extension of the Lunar New Year holiday is allowed in Hubei Province, according to the meeting of a leading group of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on the prevention and control of the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus, with Li as the head.

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Delays in business operations and school openings should be applied in other places facing a relatively rapid increase in new cases, the authorities said.

Meanwhile, industries concerning medical materials and everyday necessities should promptly resume work.

Stressing all-out efforts to ensure the supply of medical resources, the meeting stressed the organization of production, dispatch and distribution across the country.

Transparency, accuracy and releasing information on epidemic situation in a timely manner, as well as international cooperation in novel coronavirus prevention and control, were also raised at the meeting.

(Cover: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang learns about the progress of scientific research at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Beijing, January 30, 2020. /Xinhua Photo)