Chinese authorities on Tuesday stressed that prevention and control of the epidemic remain the top priority in central China's Hubei Province, especially in key areas such as the city of Wuhan and its surrounding areas.

Efforts should be made to improve patients' recovery rate and reduce the infection and fatality rates, said an official statement issued after the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee's leading group on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus outbreak met on Tuesday.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and also head of the leading group of the CPC Central Committee on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus outbreak, presided over the meeting.

Preventative measures include enlisting a batch of hotels and venues to centrally treat patients with mild illness or observe people who came into close contact with patients, adding another 2,000 medical workers to support Hubei, and dispatching a high-level medical team to take over the hospitals that treat critically ill patients, the group stated.

Wuhan will convert three existing venues, including a gymnasium and an exhibition center, into temporary hospitals to receive patients with the novel coronavirus, and the three makeshift medical facilities will add a total capacity of 3,800 beds.

Enterprises that manufacture protective clothing and face masks should resume work as soon as possible and expand production capacity. Relevant departments also should ensure the supply of daily necessities and operation of the traffic network, according to the group.

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