Commuters wearing face masks walk in Hankou railway station in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province on January 21, 2020. (Photo: AFP)

Hubei's education authority on Thursday decided to delay the opening of spring semester for middle and primary schools in the infection-hit central Chinese province.

The agency said it will later announce a new date for the new semester.

According to the original school calendar, classes were scheduled to resume on February 10. 

Hubei has been on high alert to the epidemic of a novel coronavirus and recommended that people stay away. Wuhan, capital city and the epicenter of the contagious disease, has suspended all urban transport services, and outbound trains and flights have also been canceled.