(Yicai Global) Jan. 31 -- Shanghai residents are to pre-order face masks at designated locations from Feb. 2 in order to reduce congestion at pharmacies and possible cross-contamination as 23 more cases of the novel coronavirus are confirmed in the city today.

People who live in Shanghai should proceed to assigned areas in their neighborhood to register and pre-order the protective gear. At the moment, each household can only place one order and each order is for a pack of five masks, city officials said at a press conference today. Once issued with a voucher, they must then proceed to the designated pharmacy in their neighborhood to collect.

The online consultation platforms launched by Shanghai's eight leading hospitals have had 176,000 visits and offered services to 2,387 people over the last two days, they said.

The Shanghai health commission announced 23 new cases of the novel coronavirus today, bringing the total to 135. Four patients were discharged from hospital today, bringing the total of recovered patients in Shanghai to nine.

Another five remain in a critical state, one has died and 120 are in a stable condition, according to the report. There are 70 male patients and 65 women. The patients are aged between seven and 88 years of age.

There are still 200 suspected cases undergoing further tests while 245 suspected cases have been cleared.

Of these patients, 89 have lived in or visited Hubei province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, 42 have had close contact with people taken ill with the virus, two have lived in or visited Guangdong and Anhui provinces and another two, an 81-year-old and his 52-year-old daughter, have had no contact with Hubei at all, the health commission said.

Editor: Kim Taylor