People at Beibu village in Lishui, Zhejiang province, start picking the first batch of this year's early spring tea. [Photo/lsnews.com.cn]

People at Beibu village, Dagangtou town in Lishui, East China's Zhejiang province, have been busy picking the first batch of this year's early spring tea.

Facing a shortage of tea-picking workers due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, Dagangtou town is encouraging local people who are at home and in good health to join the tea picking.

"Many of the people who have been picking tea recently are young people stranded in the village because of the epidemic," said Lan Jiawei, director of Beibu village.

Dagangtou town has set up a special epidemic prevention and control team to serve the tea pickers. Meanwhile, the town has urged local tea enterprises to popularize knowledge about epidemic prevention and control among staff members and improve their awareness of self-protection procedures.

"Thanks to the government's help, we have received masks, disinfectants and other materials to meet the urgent need to resume production," said Yang Zupei, head of Guyan Huaxiang tea cooperative, which was permitted to resume work a few days ago.