BEIJING — China's Ministry of Justice has set up an online platform to offer legal consultation services for the public in an effort to promote orderly and law-based prevention and control of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

"The platform allows people to get legal advice on epidemic prevention and control without leaving their homes," the ministry said in a statement.

So far the number of legal consultations initiated by netizens has reached nearly 200, involving issues such as labor and contract disputes, civil disputes, consumer rights protection, infringement disputes, social security, credit and debt.

In addition to providing legal advisory services for epidemic prevention and control, the platform also publicizes legal knowledge closely related to epidemic prevention and interprets the law via individual cases.

The public can access the legal services through the ministry's official website, its accounts on the micro-blogging service Sina Weibo and instant messaging app WeChat, its mobile app, as well as related websites including www.legalinfo.gov.cn and www.12348.gov.cn.