Chinese coastal province resumes passenger transport by road

JINAN -- The coastal province of Shandong in East China on Wednesday resumed inter-city bus services within the province after the novel coronavirus outbreak had caused the suspension of the passenger transport.

Bus terminals across the province have reopened to the public, with passenger routes to the rural areas also resumed, according to the provincial department of transport.

A circular released by the department said inter-provincial bus services will gradually be resumed if both the departure and destination terminals are within the low-risk regions. The buses traveling through the medium- and high-risk regions are not allowed to stop for loading and unloading passengers in the regions.

The circular prohibited buses to carry passengers who have been to Hubei province, the center of the outbreak. Those who are under a 14-day quarantine or unable to explain where they have been will also be rejected from getting on.

The bus services to Beijing and Hubei are yet to be resumed.

On March 7, Shandong province lowered the emergency response level toward the novel coronavirus outbreak from level I to level II.

In China, local authorities are ordered to take region-specific approaches when advancing resumption of work and production based on local health risks, according to decisions at a central authority meeting.

Regions with relatively low risks should focus on preventing imported cases and comprehensively restoring the order of production and life. Medium-risk regions should promote work and production resumption in an orderly manner based on local situations, while high-risk regions should continue to be fully committed to epidemic prevention and control.