A staff member disinfects the waiting room every 4 hours at Beijing Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, January 12 (XINHUA) 

The Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, which will fall on February 12 this year, is the most important traditional holiday and time for family reunions.

But this year, the traveling and gathering will pose a great challenge for controlling the spread of COVID-19. With a number of cases reported already, people need to decide very carefully if they should travel or stay put where they are.

Several provinces and municipalities including Beijing, Shanghai and Hebei have urged their residents to stay where they are to reduce the possibility of infections. Some cities are also encouraging employees to continue working during the holiday and not travel to their hometowns, but to choose another time to go on holiday when there is no travel rush.

However, to ensure that people who stay in the cities where they work also have an enjoyable Spring Festival, the local authorities should ensure in advance that there is no dearth of supplies, and public transport is adequate.

This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published in Guangming Daily on January 8