Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the leading group of the CPC Central Committee on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus epidemic, looks at a body temperature monitoring system at Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 14, 2020. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Friday inspected the novel coronavirus epidemic prevention and control work at Beijing West Railway Station. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

BEIJING, Feb. 14  -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Friday inspected the novel coronavirus epidemic prevention and control work at Beijing West Railway Station.

Li called for taking multiple measures to stagger people's return trips to Beijing after the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, to minimize epidemic transmission.

The epidemic prevention and control, and economic and social development should be promoted under overall planning, said Li, who also heads the leading group of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on the prevention and control of the epidemic.

Li visited the station platform, extended greetings to arriving travelers, learned about protective measures taken on trains, and inspected the station's work of body temperature monitoring and railway dispatching.

Li also heard report by officials with transportation authorities that road, rail and air transport will not see travel peaks as in the past years. Measures to stagger trips have effectively curbed the transmission of the virus that could have been possibly caused by travel peaks, the officials said.

Li affirmed the efforts of transportation departments in epidemic prevention and control, and in ensuring smooth traffic flows, calling for orderly resumption of work and production while preventing and controlling the epidemic.

Li also stressed the role of transportation in ensuring supplies and maintaining economic and social order.