Twenty-four provinces and municipalities including Beijing and Shanghai have called on their residents to stay where they work for Spring Festival to reduce the possibility of being infected with the novel coronavirus. Given the latest outbreak of infections in North China's Hebei province, such a call is necessary for the country to keep the transmission chain of the virus within as limited an area as possible.Hebei reported 82 new cases of infections on Sunday alone and 49 new asymptomatic cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 283 and that of asymptomatic cases to 213. And as yet there is still no sign of a turn for the better.The sporadic outbreaks of cases in recent months suggest that the cold temperatures in most parts of the country allow the virus to stay alive much longer than usual not only on frozen aquatic products but also on the surface of other thin
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