Shanghai steps up preventative measures against virus spread

Shanghai has been strengthening its preventative measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus as companies gradually resume business.

According to Yang Xiaoxi, deputy head of the municipal transportation commission, city authorities are strongly recommending migrant workers without a residential address or definite job status in the city not to come to the city for the time being.

The city has also implemented strict rules regarding the registration of all passengers arriving in the city, temperature monitoring and the disinfection of vehicles, railway stations and transport hubs.

Since Feb 2, the daily passenger flow of Shanghai's metro system has been 800,000 people, about one-fifth of the usual average, while only around 1 million use ground public transportation every day, said Yang during a news conference on the morning of Feb 10.

There was peak in arrivals from Feb 7 to 10 when Shanghai's airports and railway stations managed a daily average of 54,300 and 104,000 arrivals respectively.

Shanghai currently has 295 confirmed cases of NCP, with 1 death and 44 recovered patients released from hospital. Another 223 people with suspected infections are still under clinical observation.