A senior legal affairs official has demanded prison management authorities in Hubei province, center of the COVID-19 outbreak, ramp up efforts and roll out "wartime" measures to tackle the grim situation of epidemic control and prevention.

Chen Yixin, secretary-general of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, made the remarks during his visit to Hubei's prison administration bureau on Monday, according to a media release from the commission.

"Currently, the epidemic is generally stable and controllable in prisons across the country. With double-digit growth (of new infections) in recent days, the situation in Hubei prisons, however, is not optimistic. It remains an arduous task to prevent the spread of the epidemic (in the province)," said Chen, also deputy head of a team dispatched by the central government to facilitate epidemic control and prevention.

The release said a total of 323 inmates had contracted the novel coronavirus as of Sunday, including 297 from Wuhan Women's Prison, and there were also 10 suspected cases.

While five of the inmates in critical condition have been sent to designated hospitals for the epidemic's treatment in Hubei, others with mild symptoms will be hospitalized in makeshift hospitals Hubei prison management authorities are rushing to build, it also said.

"Currently, the spread of the virus has been effectively curbed," thanks to the transfer of inmates without close contact with infected patients, the release said.

It also said over 20 officials have been held accountable for the spread of the epidemic in Hubei prisons and punished.

The occurrence of cluster infections in prison exerts very negative impacts. Officials dedicated to their responsibilities will be awarded, and those who resort to dereliction of duty should be seriously held accountable. Those "deserters" will be sacked, Chen stressed.