China mulls plans to withdraw medics sent to Hubei Province

Chinese officials on Monday discussed plans to withdraw medical personnel who were sent to Hubei Province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, after the rate of infection slowed drastically in recent days.

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also head of the leading group of the CPC Central Committee on the prevention and control of the epidemic, presided over the Monday meeting.

Follow-up work, especially around the Wuhan, Hubei Province area, needs to be carried out in a detailed and orderly manner, said the statement released after the meeting.

Authorities called for work resumption – with full protections – while urging local governments to set up measures to assist those stranded in Wuhan to return to where they belong and transport stranded Wuhan residents back to the city.

Migrant workers and other Hubei employees should be encouraged to resume work, the statement read.

The move is among the steps the Chinese central government plans to carry out soon as it looks to recover its economy. China has also rolled out "online recruiting" to help stabilize employment amid the economic disruptions from the outbreak.

As of Monday, 81,077 confirmed cases have been reported within China's mainland. Meanwhile, infections around the world have exceeded 86,400.