Central China's Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, is expected to report no new cases by the end of March, said Zhang Boli, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, during an interview with People's Daily on Tuesday.

The judgement is based on the overall trend of the outbreak and so not absolute, said Zhang, adding that there might be a few new cases occasionally.

When asked how long people have to wear masks, Zhang estimated that by the end of April the majority provinces and cities in China can go back to normal. People can take off their masks by then but Hubei Province will be an exception, as it will take more time to recover.

"Wearing masks or not should not be a problem. Instead, people should stick to healthy habits," he suggested.

Lessons learned from the outbreak

A complete ban on the wildlife trade. "The price for this epidemic is so high that we must take it more seriously. We should not forget the scar left by SARS so quickly," Zhang said.

"So the first thing we need to do this time is to cut it at the roots. We must put an end to all wildlife trade and the consumption of terrestrial wildlife," he added. 

In the wake of the deadly coronavirus, China has rolled out a strict ban nationwide on the consumption and farming of wildlife, which is believed to be the source of the outbreak.

Revising Contagious Disease Law. Zhang pointed that one of the biggest loopholes in this health crisis is the reporting system. When an outbreak emerges, who should be the first person to report it, and who should the person report to?

"The hierarchy is so complicated that big things become smaller when finally the message goes to the top decision-makers," he said. "China's Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Disease Law should be revised."

Improving community-based medical services. A lot of fever patients flocked to big public hospitals in the early days of the outbreak, which increased their risks of exposure to cross-infection. Many people were only infected with seasonal influenza at first.

Zhang said community-based clinics were supposed to play a vital role in disease prevention. If the medical facilities are strong enough to handle part of the situation, the outbreak may probably be controlled in the early stage.

Never forget to give credit to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). As the president of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhang has seen the effectiveness of TCM in saving people's lives.

China's National Health Commission prescribes the use of TCM alongside Western drugs in its guidelines for the treatment of infected people with the coronavirus.

According to frontline medical staff, western drugs target the virus and resist infection, while TCM helps to relieve patients' symptoms. The two methods complement each other. 

"There is no competition. It is a life-and-death matter. As long as the way can save lives, it is a good way."

Read more: Traditional Chinese medicine being used in the U.S. against COVID-19

(CGTN's Liu Yuyao also contributed to the story.)