China announced on 27 January 2020 that the Lunar New Year holiday will be extended to 2 February 2020 as a measure to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The General Office of the State Council said in an announcement that the measure is taken to effectively reduce mass gatherings, block the spread of the epidemic, and to better safeguard the safety and health of the Chinese people.
The holiday started on 24 January 2020 and was originally to end on 30 January 2020.