On Friday, the city of Wuhan launched a citywide campaign asking all communities to screen patients with fever within the community, and send them to local community medical centers.

From there, transportation will be arranged to designated hospitals with outpatient services for the disease.

For diagnosed and "highly suspicious" patients of the new coronavirus, they will be transported by the city's health commission to designated hospitals and treatment centers, according to a notice issued by the Wuhan government.

"No designated hospital outpatient services should refuse treatment of patients," the notice said.

Also on Friday afternoon, two cargo planes departing from Shenzhen and Hangzhou landed in Wuhan, carrying a combined 32 tons of medicine and masks.