China's transport networks sees increase in passengers as holiday ends

China's transport networks saw increasing passenger numbers on Feb. 9 as people returned to work, according to official data.

On Sunday, the day before many major cities resumed work, a total of 12.8 million trips were made nationwide through railways, roads and waterways and civil aviation, up 13.8 percent from one day before, the data from the Ministry of Transport showed.

However, the figure slumped 84.7 percent year on year amid strengthened epidemic prevention and control measures.

China previously extended the seven-day Spring Festival holiday, scheduled to end on Jan. 30, to Feb. 2, while some local governments have postponed business operations until Feb. 10 in an effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

To contain the outbreak, the country has rolled out multiple measures including installing temperature screening checkpoints and clearing traffic jams to ensure the safety of passengers, according to an earlier circular released by the ministry.