At least 21 provinces, municipalities and other regions in China have told businesses not to resume work before February 10th at the earliest. That’s according to publicly available statements from the governments.
Anhui, Chongqing, Fujian, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hunan, Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Liaoning, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanghai, Suzhou, Xi’an, Yunnan, Zhejiang have all said work is to resume no earlier than midnight on Sunday February 9th.
China’s Hubei provincial government has extended the Lunar New Year holiday break to February 13th as it seeks to curb the coronavirus outbreak that emerged from the province’s capital of Wuhan, the Hubei Daily has reported.
Shanghai has announced that all enterprises will remain closed until after February 9th. Similarly, Zhejiang Province announced it is delaying return to work and school to after February 9th.
Guangdong Province has also announced that it will delay the resumption of work to after February 9th. Schools and colleges will stay closed until February 17th and 24th respectively.
Chongqing municipality has announced that non-essential enterprises in the administrative area will remain closed till after February 9th.
The provinces of Jiangsu and Yunnan have announced that non-essential enterprises must delay work to after February 9th.
Businesses in China's eastern manufacturing hub of Suzhou will stay shut until at least February 8th to guard against any spread, the city government said in a statement.
Beijing encourages companies to let their employees work from home until February 10th.
The virus has caused global concern because of its similarity to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed hundreds across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003 and also was traced to the wild game trade.
