Chinese officials, speaking in a meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday, suggested safety measures put in place during the COVID-19 epidemic may become the country's new normal and stressed the importance of resuming economic activity.

Local governments need to summarize effective epidemic control measures used in public venues including tourism spots, restaurants, hotels and shopping centers, officials noted, before stressing that the economy must also be dragged back on track.

Official data released last month indicates that China has experienced its worst economic contraction since at least the 1970s in the first quarter, with weak consumer spending and factory activity still looming in the country. But the just-passed May Day holiday, which spanned Friday to Tuesday, gave the economy a boost, with domestic tourism surging during the five-day break.

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In the meeting, prevention measures in schools, especially for those primary and secondary schools that offer clustered dorm rooms, were highlighted. "School needs to be reopened in a scientific and precise manner," officials pointed out.

They also called for increased COVID-19 testing capabilities. "We need more nucleic acid tests that yield faster results and require no lab," officials said, adding that they hoped to encourage the participation of more independent testing organizations.

All COVID-19 information sharing measures need to be carried out in a public and transparent fashion, they concluded.