WUHAN — Work and production resumption in Wuhan, the former epicenter of novel coronavirus, is "faster and better than expected", Hu Yabo, the city's executive deputy mayor, said at a press briefing on epidemic prevention and control on April 5.

According to Hu, the work resumption rate of industrial enterprises above designated size in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, has reached 97.2 percent by April 4, and 93.2 percent of leading service companies have resumed business.

The city has introduced a series of supportive policies, such as cooperating with financial institutions to set up an initial 20 billion yuan (about $2.82 billion) fund, offering subsidies and cutting fees to help epidemic-affected enterprises to get through the difficulties.

No new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were reported on April 4 in Hubei. The province has so far reported 67,803 confirmed COVID-19 cases in total, including 50,008 in the provincial capital of Wuhan, Hubei health commission said on April 5.

"The epidemic will bring pains to the economic and social development of Wuhan in the short run, but it will not change the city's long-term sound growth momentum," Hu said.