On January 31, 2020, the World Health Organization has announced
the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCov), sourced from Wuhan,
as a Public Health Emergency of Concern. To minimize the personnel
mobility and to curb the epidemic spread, local regulators have
issued various notices and rules regarding cessation of work and
stabilization of employment relations.
The State Council (China's cabinet), in the first place,
published the Notice of the General Office of the State Council on
Extending the Chinese New Year Holiday of 2020 on January 27, 2020,
providing that the seven-day Chinese New Year holiday will be
extended to February 2, 20201, following which, local
government departments announced one after another that the
companies within its jurisdiction (exclusive of those companies
that provide urgent and necessary public services, or are related
to epidemic prevention and control, local people's livelihood
and social and public interests) cannot resume work
