Beijing, Feb 17 (IANS): Shanghai authorities on Monday ordered bus and taxi passengers to wear face masks to help control the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Passengers not wearing masks are forbidden to take buses and taxis starting from Monday, said the municipal road transport administrative bureau. Drivers are also required to wear face masks, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier the city banned people not wearing masks from taking the subway.

To reduce people-to-people contact and avoid potential infection, passengers are encouraged to use electronic payment platforms to pay their fares.

Local taxis are not allowed to offer rides out of the city. Meanwhile, the bureau ordered ride-hailing companies not to dispatch orders to drivers from regions hard-hit by the novel coronavirus.

By the end of Sunday, a total of 1,770 people had died of the virus and 70,548 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported on the Chinese mainland.