Motor vehicles, including private cars, are banned in downtown areas of Wuhan to further reduce population mobility and curb virus since Saturday midnight, the local government said.

Authorized vehicles such as cars to carry supplies, offer free transportation and service cars, are exempted. If local residents are in practical need of transportation, they can reach the local community for help, according to a latest announcement from the command and control center of Wuhan in charge of combating the new pneumonia.

The city has recruited 6,000 taxis to help residents commute. The taxis are divided into groups of three to five and distributed to communities under the management of local residents' committees. They will provide free services to residents. The local committees will also provide services such as delivering meals, vegetables and medicine.

On Thursday morning, buses, subway and river boats were closed within the city to better control the virus.