BEIJING — A State Council executive meeting has stressed ensuring safe and stable energy supply as well as improving the prevention and control system for infectious diseases.

The meeting, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Jan 8, underscored advancing the revision of the law on prevention and control of infectious diseases.

It also stressed taking resolute action to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The meeting urged efforts to ensure energy supply and giving priority to meeting people's winter heating demand, as large swathes of the country experienced sharp temperature drops.

Gas, coal, electricity producers must ensure safety while ramping up supply, and price violations should be investigated and dealt with promptly, according to a statement released after the meeting.

To better safeguard people's life and health, the meeting urged timely improvement in related laws to enhance the rule of law in the prevention and control of infectious diseases, and practices in fighting COVID-19 should be taken into consideration.

Noting that the country had recently seen sporadic and cluster COVID-19 cases, the meeting stressed that the State Council joint prevention and control mechanism against COVID-19 should enhance guidance and coordination of local response efforts.

The approach of "early detection, early reporting, early isolation and early treatment" should be followed, and more should be done to monitor and warn against the disease, according to the meeting.