Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu on Monday stressed the importance of school resumption and epidemic prevention in northwest China's quake zone.

"Currently, the resumption of children's education and the prevention of epidemics are the two major goals of our relief work... We should take effective measures to ensure schools resume as soon as possible," Hui said at a quake-relief meeting.

He said children returning to classes will help both students and parents calm down.

Hui urged local governments to use tents and temporary houses as temporary schools and to provide teachers with teaching materials.

He said students can voluntarily choose to transfer to other regions to go to school as there are not enough places in the quake zone.

The students who transfer will receive a government subsidy, he said without elaborating.

In addition, Hui warned epidemic disease outbreaks are more likely to occur as the weather gets warmer. He said the lack of public health facilities in the quake zone is severe.

Hui called for careful disposal and disinfection of medical and biological waste.

He also urged measures to ensure the safety of drinking water.

By Sunday, at least 2,220 were confirmed to have died in the 7.1-magnitude earthquake which hit the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu in northwest China's Qinghai Province on April 14.