Foreign firms struggle to resume operations in virus-hit China

Foreign firms are struggling to resume work in virus-hit China as they face disrupted supply chains, rising inventory and quarantine rules meant to contain the deadly epidemic, the EU chamber of commerce said on Tuesday.

With many pharmaceutical companies globally sourcing from China, pharmacies may also face a shortage of antibiotics and other drugs if the epidemic is not resolved soon, said Joerg Wuttke, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

Firms in China have seen a slow restart to work after the Spring Festival break in late January, with residents encouraged to stay home to reduce the spread of a virus that has killed nearly 1,900 people.

"The whole process is stuttering to get back as the magnitude of the challenges is just huge," Wuttke added. "How long this is going to last is anybody's guess."