(Yicai Global) Feb. 21 -- More than 70 percent of Shanghai's industrial and commercial enterprises have returned to work after the Chinese New Year holiday was extended due to the new coronavirus outbreak.

The ratio of industrial enterprises above designated scale that are now active had risen from Feb. 10's about 40 percent to 73 percent in nine days, Zhang Jianming, deputy director of the municipal government's Commission of Economy and Informatization, told Yicai Global at a press conference today.

The virus outbreak, which has claimed 2,239 lives in China, has caused many shops and restaurants to keep their doors closed for some time even after the holiday ended amid halted supply chains, labor shortages, and health risks.

The municipal administration requires all employees to wear face masks, complete health registrations online, and have their body temperatures measured to reduce transmission risks, Zhang added.

More than 95 percent of the city's shopping malls and department stores are now open while about half of their merchants are back to work. The ratio is 90 percent for convenience store chains.

Some 95 percent of state-owned firms controlled by the central government have returned to work. The ratio is about 80 percent for all state-owned firms and nearly 70 percent for foreign-funded companies. Some 93 percent of multinational enterprises' regional headquarters located in Shanghai have done the same.

Some 22 firms in Lin-gang Special Area of the China Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone have resumed operations. The daily electricity consumption of 20 key industrial parks, including Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, has reached more than 80 percent of last year's average.

Editor: Emmi Laine