The harsh restrictions, on top of numerous “wartime” measures already in place, were necessary to fix loopholes and combat the spread of the disease, said Ying.

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According to mainland media reports, Ying, who also chairs the province’s prevention and control command, admitted at a meeting on Sunday afternoon that despite the tightened controls, Hubei still faces a grim, uphill battle with six cities having more than 1,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19.

“We must understand the severity and complexity of the disease control, which stands at a critical window of opportunity,” Ying said, according to Hubei Daily.

“Other cities and counties are also important battlefields. They are also crucial”.

The former Shanghai mayor, a protégé of President Xi Jinping, replaced Jiang Chaoliang on Thursday amid mounting public anger over and international concern over Beijing’s ability to tackle the worst public health problem since the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome.

On Monday Hubei reported 100 further deaths and 1,933 confirmed cases of Covid-19 as the overall death toll passed 1,700.

The whole country reported 2,055 new cases, a slight upturn after three days of declines, and 106 deaths.

Partial lockdown measures have been imposed in over 80 cities in nearly 20 provinces and municipalities.

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The Hubei provincial government issued four edicts after the meeting, introducing fresh bans on movement across cities and rural areas. It also pledged to tighten the flow of information and clamp down on rumour-mongering in the name of maintaining social stability.

In what Ying’s government described as the “strictest 24-hour lock-down management”, barriers and checkpoints will be set up to isolate all residential compounds and communities, housing estates, and villages, with only one entrance allowed.

Unlike the partial lockdown in other major cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, residents in Hubei will not be allowed to leave their homes and only one person per household will be allowed out to buy essential supplies every three days.

In Xiaogan, which reported the second highest number of infections after Wuhan, people who leave home without permission will be detained for 10 days.

Those who need to go out due to sickness, pregnancy or other emergencies must seek official approval in advance.

Fang Fang, a renowned writer based in Wuhan, confirmed in an online journal that people at the compound where she lives were barred from going out and had to rely on deliveries sanctioned by the grass-roots authorities.