3. Launching first-level response to a major public health emergency in 31 provinces
January 15, the Chinese CDC announced a national-level emergency response. January 20, the National Health Commission issued the Guideline for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of COVID-19 that has been updated to the 7th version until recently. COVID-19 was classified by the commission as a Category B infectious disease but should be controlled with Category A’s prevention and control methods under the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases. Since then, number of confirmed cases in each province has been reported on a daily basis by the National Health Commission.
By January 29, all Chinese provinces have declared first-level response to a major public health emergency. The Chinese New Year holiday was extended; people from high-endemic areas and non-urgent workers were encouraged to delay their return; public places, commercial markets and factories were closed; people were asked to restrain their outdoor activities; traffic between communities and villages were shut down to prevent unnecessary visits. Furthermore, the most stringent control on wildlife selling has been implemented, banning all forms of wildlife trade or transportation.