Hubei province has been striving to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in cities and towns outside the provincial capital of Wuhan, according to its governor.

Governor Wang Xiaodong told a news conference in Wuhan on Wednesday night that the provincial government has started giving equal attention to the epidemic's prevention and control in Wuhan as well as other areas in the province.

"Measures are being taken to strengthen related efforts in key places such as Huanggang, Xiaogan and Jingmen cities," he said, stressing that Huanggang is the second most-affected city in Hubei following Wuhan.

"So far, more than 1,000 confirmed infections and suspected cases have been reported in Huanggang," he said. Wang said the provincial government will not sit and watch Huanggang repeat what happened in Wuhan, and decided on Tuesday night to send a work group to the city to offer help.

According to him, there is still a shortage of medical forces in Hubei, and the province has set up or expanded more than 70 hospitals, bringing in over 8,000 new beds.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 1,535 medical professionals from 11 teams from regions outside Hubei have been distributed to 10 cities outside Wuhan, including Huanggang and Xiaogan, Wang noted, adding a special hospital dedicated to the outbreak began operating in Huanggang on Tuesday.

Starting Friday, all cars and electric bicycles are not allowed in downtown areas of Huanggang and the counties it administers. All urban roads are closed except for vehicles for medical services, rescue and daily supplies.

The city suspended public transportation services on Jan 24. All outbound, intercity and intercounty roads were closed a day later.

Huanggang is the second most populous city in Hubei after Wuhan, with a permanent resident population of about 6.3 million, and is the largest exporter of workers in the province.

Due to its proximity to Wuhanabout 80 kilometers or 30 minutes on an intercity train－a lot of Huanggang people go to Wuhan to find jobs, local media reported, saying around 15 percent of people who left Wuhan before the provincial capital's lockdown on Jan 23 arrived in Huanggang.

The number of confirmed infections increased by 172 in Huanggang on Wednesday, raising the city's tally to 496, according to the local health commission.

On Wednesday, inspectors from a consultation team sent by the central government to oversee Hubei's counter-epidemic endeavors went to Huanggang to check the local situation. They requested local authorities and medical services speed up screening processes and the confirmation of suspected infections.