BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China has announced a plan to honor medical workers and other personnel who died fighting the novel coronavirus epidemic as martyrs.

According to a circular jointly issued by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs and the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission, the plan covers the deceased who had direct contact with suspected or confirmed cases and were infected with the virus when performing their duties including diagnosis, treatment, nursing, nosocomial infection control, specimen collection, pathogen detection and patient transfer, among others.

Other people who sacrificed their lives could also be recognized as martyrs if certain criteria are met, according to the circular.

The circular also stressed comforting and compensating the families of martyrs.