A coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has occurred in Wuhan, Hubei province since Dec. 2019. As of Feb. 10, 2020, more than 40,000 cases had been confirmed, nearly 30,000 cases in Hubei alone, and no inflection point in epidemiology appeared. Severe trauma may still occur during the outbreak of the COVID-19. In order to protect the medical personnel involved in emergency treatment and ensuring the timeliness of treatment for trauma patients, The Trauma Surgery Branch of Chinese Medical Doctors' Association (CMDA) organized the drafting of the present expert consensus. This paper interprets the main views of the expert consensus, emphasizes that the safety of health care staff and patients are equally important, and that the treatment strategies and procedures for severe trauma need to be adjusted during the COVID-19 outbreak. The consensus also recommends the use of CT scan, which plays both the role of screening COVID-19 and accurate assessment of trauma, and strengthening the protection of medical staff. The consensus states that medical personnel can be exempted from isolation if they wear standard three-level protective equipment and are not accidentally exposed during the operation. This expert consensus is the first one to systematically review, summarize and analyze the progress of COVID-19 from a surgeon's perspective. It may be used as a reference for medical institutions at all levels to treat patients with severe trauma and perform other kinds of operations during the COVID-19 outbreak. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2020.02.02