Li Deping, the head of Dazhancheng, a village in Central China's Henan province, has been taking stern measures to help stem the public health threat amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

"I shouted at villagers via loudspeaker on the night of the second day of Chinese New Year, since many people did not take the possible spread of the virus seriously," said Li, 57, who leads the village in the city of Xinxiang.

The video of him shouting through a loudspeaker has been widely circulated online after someone uploaded it, and lots of netizens have praised his efforts in the fight against the disease.

Li's public warnings to villagers to stay at home to reduce the risk of infection during the epidemic have struck a chord with communities nationwide, online and offline, with many residents giving him a thumbs-up.