BEIJING — China's environmental watchdog has issued a circular urging local authorities to step up supervision on medical and urban sewage disposal to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Designated medical institutions, quarantine areas and related research facilities which receive patients infected with the novel coronavirus or suspected of the virus infection should collect and treat the sewage and medical waste separately to ensure up-to-standard discharge, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

As for hospitals that do not have medical sewage treatment facilities, the ministry urged building temporary sewage treatment tanks with disinfection measures.

The ministry banned discharging medical sewage without proper disinfection to avoid contamination.