Health Commission lays out guidelines for virus prevention after holiday period

The National Health Commission has called for strengthened disinfection, ventilation and screening measures in public spaces and transportation facilities to control the spread of the novel coronavirus, as the Lunar New Year holiday draws to an end.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, has extended the weeklong holiday by three days to Sunday. For many people, work will resume on Monday.

Wang Bin, an official with the National Health Commission, said on Sunday the commission has recently released a handful of protocols to increase awareness of disease prevention, including increased frequency of disinfection at transportation hubs, ramped up ventilation power in enclosed spaces of vehicles and distribution of seats on railway cars and airplanes as loosely as possible.

"It is also important to log and take temperatures of visitors entering office buildings," she added. "Staff members working in public areas such as hotels, shopping malls and supermarkets should wear masks and avoid contact with other people,” Wang said at a news conference.

For migrant workers from rural areas who tend to gather at construction sites and factories and live in dormitories, employers are suggested to designate a worker to take change of monitoring health conditions of other employees and report suspicious symptoms timely, said Feng Luzhao, a researcher with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Canteens at enterprises often see mass gatherings, so they should also arrange off-peak meal times," he said.

Zhang Liubo, a disinfection expert with the center, suggested train operators and airliners set up an emergency area on each train or airplane by leaving the last three rows empty, in case a passenger shows symptoms during the journey.

The official guidelines on how to prevent infections of the novel coronavirus are available on the website of the National Heath Commission, and its app Health China.