Hubei province, where the epidemic is the most severe, will continue to take the most stringent prevention and control measures, the National Health Commission said in a notice on Feb 25.

Areas outside Hubei and Beijing will take different control measures based on the local severity of the epidemic in order to gradually restore economic and social order, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission said on Feb 25.

Hubei, the outbreak epicenter with 43,369 confirmed patients as of Feb 24, will maintain the strictest prevention measures. Its capital Wuhan, the most affected area, and other cities that have already implemented traffic controls will continue to restrict people from leaving, while residents in other cities with no traffic controls are asked to go into isolation for 14 days after arriving at their destination.

People in Hubei are classified into groups of high, medium and low risk based on their recent history of travel, residence and contact, as well as their current health status, and they will receive different restriction measures accordingly.

The notice urged medical institutes to continue detecting and reporting infections as soon as possible to ensure early isolation and early treatment.

It also asked fever clinics and designated hospitals to keep screening patients with fever to make sure all are examined and admitted to hospitals and receive treatment.

Moreover, it encouraged the promotion of information platforms for residents to register health conditions that could potentially qualify them to travel or return to work.

It said residential communities with confirmed cases or outbreaks need to carry out disinfections and further curb the spread of the virus by maintaining strict blockades and restricting gatherings.

Enterprises that have resumed operation also need to check body temperatures daily and monitor employees' health. They are also encouraged to adopt more flexible working methods, such as allowing employees to work from home.

All schools are prohibited from reopening or organizing large-scale collective activities. Public areas including markets, shopping malls and hotels need to restrict the flow of people and strictly conduct disinfection and ventilation while open for business.

President Xi Jinping said on Feb 23 during a meeting that a region-specific, risk-based and targeted approach should be adopted amid the resumption of work and production.

Ou Xiaoli, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission, said on Feb 25 that places outside Hubei and Beijing are divided into low-, medium-and high-risk regions at county level.

Low-risk areas will focus on preventing imported cases, fully restoring production and daily life and lifting all road traffic restrictions. Medium-risk regions will resume production and daily life in an orderly manner and guide local companies to strictly conduct disinfection, ventilation and body temperature checks.

In high-risk areas, epidemic prevention and control remains the priority. The scale of work resumption can be expanded progressively provided the epidemic is effectively controlled, he said.

"The epidemic situation varies from place to place at present. If the approach is still carried out at the provincial level, it will not only lack scientific thinking but also affect economic and social recovery," he said.