China will encourage trade firms to orderly resume work and production while guaranteeing safety amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Operations are starting to get back to normal after several weeks on stand-by starting from the Chinese lunar new year holiday, which was extended due to the spiking cases of the novel coronavirus nationwide. 

Since the fight against the epidemic will be a long term battle, support for economic output is needed.

Local commerce departments should tap into the supply network of daily necessities across nine provinces to secure the supply in Hubei Province and the capital city of Wuhan, according to a circular released by the Ministry of Commerce.

Efforts should be made to ensure supply of key daily necessities, such as vegetables, meat, eggs, dairy products, rice, flour, edible oil, and instant food, the circular said.

It also called for innovative shopping methods in which daily necessities will be purchased by communities and delivered to residents without physical contact in hardest-hit regions.

In high-risk regions, including Beijing, Shanghai, and provinces of Guangdong, Henan, Zhejiang, Hunan, Anhui, and Jiangxi, local authorities should first urge enterprises that produce daily necessities to resume work, the circular said.

Approval procedures for the resumption of work will be streamlined to crank up the economic engine, and epidemic prevention supplies should go to workers at the frontline, it stressed.

(With input from Xinhua)