Zhong Shanghai Extends Holiday by One Week to Prevent Wuhan Pneumonia

As the spread of Wuhan pneumonia in China worsens, Premier Li Keqiang personally visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, the 27th reported.
According to the Chinese government website, Premier Li visited a hospital in Wuhan that day to inspect the response measures for Wuhan pneumonia and to comfort medical staff and patients.

The city of Shanghai, China, has decided to delay the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) holiday by more than a week to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection known as 'Wuhan pneumonia.'

Among China's first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, Shanghai is the first to implement such an independent extension of the holiday.

As this measure spreads to other major cities in China, there is growing speculation that the Spring Festival holiday in China may effectively continue until early next month.

According to the internet edition of China Central Television (CCTV) on the 27th, the Shanghai municipal government held a press conference in the afternoon and announced that companies within the city must not resume work before midnight on February 9.

The Chinese central government, the State Council, announced in the early morning that the Spring Festival holiday, originally scheduled to end on the 30th of this month, would be extended by three days until February 2.

With this measure, the Spring Festival holiday for Shanghai citizens will be extended until February 9, which is a week longer than the central government's standard.

As 'Wuhan pneumonia' is spreading explosively, Shanghai's measure is likely to be expanded to other major cities in China.

Additionally, Shanghai has also required that frontline elementary, middle, and high schools cannot reopen before the 17th.

Shanghai, a municipality directly governed by the central government and not belonging to any province, has a population of about 24 million, similar to the combined population of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.