Latest developments in epidemic control on Feb 27 (1)

China has stepped up efforts to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Here are the latest developments:

— By Feb 25, 822 infected patients had been discharged from hospital after recovery in the city of Jingzhou, in Hubei province, according to city mayor Cui Yonghui.

The city had reported 1,577 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection by Feb 25, Cui said.

— Authorities in Southwest China's Yunnan province have decided to give out more than 10 million yuan ($1.42 million) in subsidies to 42 companies.

These companies were in operations during the Spring Festival to Feb 9, manufacturing and transporting materials needed for epidemic prevention and control work, according to the provincial department of human resources and social security.

— Work has resumed in about 50 percent of the major transportation projects in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality.

Work will resume in most transportation projects in Chongqing by March 10, according to the Chongqing Traffic Bureau.

— A makeshift hospital has begun operations in the city of Anlu in Hubei province. So far, it has received more than 60 infected patients.

Anlu is a city under the jurisdiction of the city of Xiaogan. By Feb 25, Anlu had reported 547 confirmed cases of infection, with 19 deaths and 256 discharged from hospital.

— Police authorities have emphasized the importance of enhancing supervision over law enforcement in Hubei province.

The provincial department of public security has issued a notice, demanding all public security organs in Hubei to fulfill responsibilities and enforce laws with strict standards during the crucial stage of prevention and control against the virus.

— Public security authorities across China have stayed tough on illegal activities hindering epidemic control and business resumption.

They have handled around 22,000 criminal cases related to the epidemic as of Feb 24, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

So far, police have cracked 688 cases involving the production and sales of counterfeit and shoddy protective materials, with more than 1,560 suspects apprehended and over 31 million fake or inferior face masks seized, Vice-Minister Du Hangwei said.

— A total of 163 passengers on a flight from the Republic of Korea to the city of Weihai, East China's Shandong province, are now under medical observation after five passengers were reported to have a fever.

— A total of 1,029 people have been prosecuted in China over criminal offenses related to the COVID-19 epidemic. China's prosecutors have been involved in the investigation and evidence collection of 6,144 epidemic-related criminal offenses that concerned 8,243 people in total.

They intervened and handled 383 cases of causing transmission of the novel coronavirus due to refusal to take preventive measures, 895 cases of manufacturing or selling fake products, and 144 cases of illegal business operations.

— China has not seen any further spread of the novel coronavirus in its prison system apart from the confirmed cases in five prisons in Hubei, Zhejiang and Shandong provinces.

As of Feb 25, those five prisons had reported 555 confirmed cases, including four in critical conditions.

— China has assisted a total of 250,000 outbound Chinese group tourists to return home since the outbreak of COVID-19 through chartered flights or by altering flight tickets.

— The National Health Commission said on Feb 26 it received reports of 406 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 52 deaths on Feb 25 from 31 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland, bringing the overall confirmed cases and total deaths on the mainland to 78,064 and 2,715, respectively.

— Hubei province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in China, reported 401 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection and 52 new deaths on Feb 25.

— China's daily new confirmed cases of COVID-19 outside Hubei province, epicenter of the outbreak in China, dropped to five on Feb 25.

— China's daily number of newly cured and discharged novel coronavirus patients has surpassed that of new infections for the eighth consecutive day.

Feb 25 saw 2,422 people on the Chinese mainland walk out of hospital after recovery. A total of 29,745 patients infected with the novel coronavirus had been discharged from hospital by the end of Feb 25.

— Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan on Feb 25 called for all-out efforts to treat medical workers who were infected with the coronavirus.

— China's Ministry of Justice calls for more convenient and effective public legal services to protect migrant workers' interests amid the outbreak.