Chinese leader Xi Jinping wore a face mask and a surgical gown on a visit to a hospital treating coronavirus patients today.

The Chinese president, who has largely kept out of the public eye since the outbreak began, had his temperature checked as he met doctors at a hospital in Beijing.

He also spoke via video link to medics in Wuhan, the quarantined city at the centre of the outbreak.

China has already imposed drastic quarantine measures but Xi promised today that the government would take more decisive action to contain the virus.

Prepared: Chinese president Xi Jinping wears a face mask and a surgical gown today (pictured) as he visits a hospital in Beijing treating coronavirus patients

Xi Jinping inspects his country's efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak as he visits a hospital in Beijing today

The Chinese leader speaks to health workers at the Beijing hospital today, who were also wearing face masks amid the coronavirus outbreak

Xi, who has called the virus a 'demon', appointed premier Li Keqiang to take the lead on the virus outbreak and it was Li who visited ground zero Wuhan last month.

But the president was back on public view today as he inspected efforts by community workers in Beijing to contain the virus.

China's leader had his temperature taken with an infrared thermometer before waving to nearby residents in their apartments, footage on state media showed.

Vowing to win the battle against the outbreak, Xi said China would take further action to stop the spread of the virus which has killed more than 900 people.

He also declared that China will strive to meet its economic and social targets for the year and make economic adjustments to minimise the impact of the virus.

The outbreak has prompted unprecedented action by the Chinese government, including locking down entire cities and telling hundreds of millions of people to stay indoors.

The sweeping measures turned cities into ghost towns - but there were some signs of normality returning on Monday after the end of an extended New Year break.

Roads in Beijing and Shanghai had significantly more traffic and the southern city of Guangzhou said it would start to resume normal public transport.

Xi also spoke via video link (pictured) to medics in Wuhan, the quarantined city at the centre of the outbreak where the virus is believed to have spread to humans last year

China's leader waved to residents in their apartments as he inspected efforts by community workers in Beijing to contain the virus

The Shanghai government suggested staggered work schedules, avoiding group meals and keeping at least one metre away from colleagues.

Many were encouraged to work from home and some employers simply delayed opening for another week.

State media reported that passenger numbers on the Beijing subway were down by about half on Monday compared to a normal work day.

Large shopping malls in the capital were deserted and many banks closed.

One bank employee in Shanghai was heading to work for a half-day, with other workers due to take over in the afternoon.

The rest of the day he would work from home.

'It makes our work more difficult because we need to access the systems in our office,' he said.

Schools and universities across the country remained shut.

Xi looks at a screen today on a visit to a Beijing community to see how authorities are trying to bring the killer virus under control

China has already imposed drastic quarantine measures but Xi promised today that the government would take more decisive action to contain the virus

The death toll in China rose to 908 yesterday after 97 people died in 24 hours, making Sunday the deadliest day of the outbreak so far.

Another two people have died outside mainland China, one in Hong Kong and one in the Philippines, bringing the global toll to 910.

The toll has overtaken global fatalities in the 2002-03 SARS epidemic, another outbreak which began in China and spread around the world.

Meanwhile in Hong Kong, thousands of people stranded aboard the World Dream cruise ship for five days were allowed to disembark Sunday after its 1,800 crew tested negative for the coronavirus.

But another 66 people aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship moored off Japan have been diagnosed with novel coronavirus, the health ministry said Monday, bringing the total number of known infections to 136.

The Diamond Princess has been in quarantine since arriving off the Japanese coast early last week after the virus was detected in a former passenger who got off the ship last month in Hong Kong.