The government of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, on Thursday issued a notice ordering all government bodies and enterprises to resume normal operations, ten days after the 8.0-magnitude earthquake hit the province.

The move was intended to restore normal social order as aftershocks were on the decline and to maintain the "gradual success" achieved in disaster relief, the notice said.

Banks, schools, shops, restaurants and government units were told to operate as usual, while market, price and drug regulators were urged to step up supervision to maintain a stable market.

Public utilities were told to ensure tap water, power and gas supplies, as well as transport and communications.

The notice also ordered police to be on the alert for crimes that could disrupt social stability.

The death toll from the May 12 earthquake rose to 51,151 as of 10 a.m. on Thursday, according to the Information Office of the State Council, while 288,431 people were reported injured and 29,328 missing.

The quake had claimed more than 50,000 lives in Sichuan alone by Thursday afternoon, with more than 4,000 dead in Chengdu.

(Xinhua News Agency May 22, 2008)