The Information Office of the People’s Government of Jilin Province held a news conference on March 16, to brief the media on the province’s novel coronavirus epidemic prevention and control conditions and work resumption situation, according to local reports.

Qin Haitao, deputy director of the Health Commission of Jilin Province, said that the province’s last coronavirus patient was pronounced cured and discharged from hospital on March 15, bringing the number of current confirmed cases, suspected cases and close contacts in Jilin to zero.

Qin said the next step for the province is to attach great importance on the risk from overseas cases and strengthen epidemic prevention and control.

Mu Kezhen, deputy director of the Industry and Information Technology Department of Jilin Province, explained the current status of the province’s return to work.

The official said that up to the end of March 15, 99 percent of 3,034 manufacturers above designated size -- those with annual revenue of main business of 20 million yuan ($2.85 million) or more -- had resumed production and 81.4 percent of their employees had returned to work.

And among 500 key companies in the province, 488 of them have resumed production, accounting for 97.6 percent of the total, according to the official.

In addition, the province has seen a great improvement in its production capacity of protective supplies.

Officials said it can now produce 30,000 N95 masks, 1 million medical disposable masks and 8,000 suits of protective clothing every day.