Medical care team members queue to board a plane setting off for central China's Hubei Province, in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, Feb. 4, 2020. A medical care team comprised of 101 members set off for Hubei from Nanchang to combat the novel coronavirus pneumonia on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)

In efforts to alleviate pressure on coronavirus-hit cities in Central China's Hubei Province, the epidemic's center, 16 provinces have been mobilized in a move netizens said is a clear reflection of the country's solidarity amid the virus outbreak. 

The latest policy implemented to combat the coronavirus, "one province helps one city" was put forward by an official from China's National Health Commission at a news conference on Friday. 

Health officials said over 11,000 medical personnel have been sent to Wuhan to help fight the virus. But conditions in neighboring cities like Huanggang and Xiaogan are deteriorating, with some becoming just as severe as Wuhan, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Other second-tier cities in the province also lag behind Wuhan in medical resources and technology. 

Surrounding provinces and municipalities such as Henan and Zhejiang provinces and Chongqing Municipality have sent medical personnel and resources to various Hubei cities.

Details have not been revealed on how the policy's assistant system will operate. Some netizens speculated it will include transporting Hubei patients to other provinces for  treatment, expressing concern that such efforts could increase infection risks.

Most netizens overwhelmingly approved of the policy. And one netizen from Sichuan Province joked that they will make money by selling hotpot to help Xiantao, a city in Hubei with 379 confirmed cases. 

Many netizens were touched that there were some provinces willing to help that were also hit by the virus. For example, Henan Province recorded 1,033 cases on Sunday, and was assigned to help Suizhou, a city with 984 confirmed cases. 

"This is a vivid embodiment of how united people in China are when faced with difficulties. Such mobilization would be unimaginable in other countries," said one netizen.

The same model was activated after the Wenchuan earthquake claimed almost 70,000 lives in 2008. Following the disaster, cities nationwide offered their assistance in reconstruction efforts for town and villages that had been destroyed.