Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, China announced on Jan 27 that the Lunar New Year holiday will be extended to Feb 2 as a measure to further contain this epidemic. The end of the Lunar New Year holiday, China’s busiest travel season, was pushed back to Sunday from Thursday to “reduce mass gatherings” and “block the spread of the epidemic,” a Cabinet statement said. The holiday started on Jan 24 and was originally to end on Jan 30. The government of Shanghai has told Universities, primary and middle schools and kindergartens across the country that it will postpone the opening of the spring semester until further notice. It ordered sports stadiums to close and religious events to cancel.
Companies in Shanghai cannot resume work before February 9 due to virus fight: government.
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The Shanghai government has said companies in the city are not allowed to resume operations before Feb. 9, an official at the municipality announced at a press conference on Monday. The measure is applicable to government and private companies but is not applicable to utilities and some other firms such as medical equipment companies and pharmaceutical companies, the official said. China’s cabinet has announced it will extend the Lunar New Year holidays to Feb. 2, to strengthen the prevention and control of the new coronavirus, state broadcaster CCTV reported early on Monday.