Ordinary motor vehicles will be banned from roads from Sunday in the downtown areas in Wuhan, the hardest-hit city of the novel coronavirus outbreak in central China, the local government said.

Only authorized vehicles such as official vehicles and licensed cars to carry supplies and offer free transportation are exempt.

The city has also recruited 6,000 taxis to provide free rides to local residents. The taxies are subject to unified dispatch under community committees to offer services such as food and medicine delivery as well as emergency medical treatment for non-febrile diseases.

Patients with fever should be transported by professional vehicles from the epidemic prevention department with proper isolation measures for drivers.