BEIJING — Vice-Premier Han Zheng has asked to take differentiated and targeted measures to gradually normalize nationwide transportation disrupted amid the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.

He made the remarks at the Ministry of Public Security on Feb 21, while attending a national teleconference on restoring traffic and transportation order.

The central authorities attached great importance to restoring transportation order, which is vital to facilitating the resumption of work and production, Han said.

He said in areas with low risk of epidemic situation, road traffic restrictions should be completely lifted and normal transportation order should be restored.

In areas with medium risks or high risks, traffic control measures should be optimized and refined in accordance with actual epidemic situations, he said.

However, Hubei province, the center of the COVID-19 epidemic, must continue to prevent the epidemic from spreading out of the province by resolutely cutting off the transmission channels, while Beijing should focus on guarding against the "inflow" of infection cases, he said.

The restrictions on freight logistics should be lifted in a scientific way, while in non-epidemic key areas, traffic restrictions on freight vehicles and ships should be completely lifted to ensure that raw materials can come in and products can go out, he said.

More work should be done to resume road passenger transport gradually and provide "point-to-point" services to ensure rural migrant workers can return to work safely and orderly, he said.