WUHAN, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in Hubei in central China announced Saturday that the Spring Festival holiday in the province will be extended to Feb. 13 to curb the novel coronavirus spread.

Approved by China's State Council, the extension is aimed at discouraging mass gatherings of people, curbing the spread of the epidemic and safeguarding the well-being of the public, according to a notice issued by the Hubei provincial government.

All schools in the province will postpone the opening of the new semester until further notice.

The holiday extension also applies to people from other regions who traveled to Hubei during the holiday.

Hubei had reported 7,153 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection by Friday, with 249 deaths and 956 patients in severe or critical condition. The province has seen 166 patients discharged from hospital.