Chinese Premier Li Keqiang encouraged a flexible working schedule and off-peak working hours for non-essential sectors when chairing a meeting on coronavirus outbreak prevention and control on Sunday.

The proposal, according to Li, aims to avoid large-scale population movements so as to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The State Council earlier announced plans to extend the Lunar New Year holiday originally set to end on January 30 "to a proper extent."

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But for enterprises that produce key medical supplies and daily supplies, the premier said he supports workers to return to work soon to speed up production in order to ensure a stable supply of key materials.

Noting the supplies of key medical products such as protective medical gowns, goggles and masks are running low in Hubei Province, Li reiterated the region and its provincial capital Wuhan, in particular, should be the priority regarding the procurement of relevant medical supplies under the country's unified dispatch system.

He also urged Hubei Province to optimize its resources management and mobilization process to ensure the timely delivery of scarce goods to hospitals in the region.