Reception areas for people to make complaints and proposals in the central and state organs will be temporarily closed from Tuesday, the National Public Complaints and Proposals Administration said on Tuesday.

The closure aims to reduce public gatherings and prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus-related pneumonia, so as to protect people's safety, the administration said in a statement.

The arrangement was made according to the decisions and arrangements of the central government on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus outbreak and the arrangements of the Beijing municipal government, according to the statement.

People can make complaints and proposals online or by sending letters. Reopening the offline reception center will depend on the situation of the epidemic, the statement said.

The administration said local administrations handling complaints should decide on their own whether to stop receiving visitors according to local conditions and make public the decisions.

During the closing time of the offline service, personnel handling complaints should stick to their jobs and handle online complaints and letters seriously and responsibly, solve people's reasonable demands in a timely manner, and safeguard people's legitimate rights and interests, the statement said.

Petitioning, also known as "letters and calls", is China's administrative system for hearing public complaints and proposals in areas including land acquisition, education and environmental protection, among others.