The president urged authorities to improve the environment in urban and rural areas, bolster public health infrastructure and promote health education and healthy lifestyles, including social distancing, wearing masks outdoors and trash sorting.

The people in Hubei and its capital, Wuhan, have made great contributions in the fight against COVID-19, Xi said, adding that he extended best wishes and thanks to the heroic people of Hubei and Wuhan.

He cautioned that disease prevention measures should be continuously enforced to prevent imported cases or a resurgence of COVID-19, given that the virus is still spreading widely overseas, cases still exist in some places in the nation and separate cases are confirmed in Hubei from time to time.

As the most hard-hit Chinese province that underwent the most restrictions for the longest time, Hubei is facing many difficulties in reactivating its economy, Xi said.