BEIJING — China has ordered its major courier firms to resume operation to meet increasing demand as the country mobilizes resources to fight against the novel coronavirus.

Ma Junsheng, head of the State Post Bureau, urged courier companies to restore over 40 percent of their normal handling capacity in the middle of this month and continue to increase their handling capacity according to the development of the epidemic outbreak.

The country's business activities were affected by an extended Lunar New Year holiday and the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which forced many cities to impose preventive travel restrictions.

During a teleconference with seven courier firms on Feb 7, including ZTO Express, YTO Express and Deppon Express, Ma said courier companies should ensure logistics services for residents in Wuhan and other epidemic-hit regions to meet their daily needs and guarantee the delivery of resources for the epidemic control from home and abroad.

The pneumonia-causing virus was first identified in the city of Wuhan in Central China's Hubei province in December. It has since killed more than 700 people on the Chinese mainland.