China will help makers of vital goods resume operations as soon as possible - state TV

China said on Sunday it will help firms that produce vital goods resume work as soon as possible, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday, citing a meeting chaired by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Non-essential sectors, however, will be allowed flexibility in how they resume operations after the Lunar New Year holiday as the country seeks to stem spread of the coronavirus outbreak.

CCTV also said China will speed up construction of hospitals in Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, and ensure sufficient medical supplies to deal with the virus there and in Wuhan city.

China is facing mounting isolation as other countries introduce travel curbs, airlines suspend flights and governments evacuate their citizens, risking worsening a slowdown in the world`s second-largest economy, another Reuters report said.

On Sunday, the Philippines reported the growing epidemic of a coronavirus has claimed its first fatality outside of China, where new confirmed infections jumped by a daily record to top 14,000 cases, the same report said.

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China`s stock, currency and bond markets have all been closed since Jan, the Reuters report said. 23 and had been due to re-open last Friday. China`s central bank said it will inject 1.2 trillion yuan ($173.8 billion) worth of liquidity into the markets via reverse repo operations on Monday, as the country prepares to reopen its stock markets amid a new coronavirus outbreak, the report further said.