Wuhan no longer at 'high risk' of coronavirus outbreak

Wuhan has had its coronavirus risk evaluation downgraded from "high risk" to "medium risk," a local health official told a press conference Friday.

The coronavirus risk evaluation for five districts of Xinzhou, Huangpi, Jiangxia, Caidian and Dongxihu have been further lowered to "low risk," said Liu Dongru, deputy head of the provincial health commission, who declared the transmission of the coronavirus epidemic in the main battlefield in Wuhan, the hardest-hit city by the virus, has been "basically blocked."

Wuhan only reported one newly confirmed case of the novel coronavirus disease since March 18.

No newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hubei outside Wuhan were reported for 22 consecutive days, with patients in the cities of Huanggang, Xianning, Enshi, Shiyan, Suizhou, Tianmen and Shennongjia forest district all discharged from hospital, Liu said.

According to the risk criteria defined in a guideline issued by China's State Council, cities, counties and districts with no newly confirmed cases in the last 14 days are categorized as low-risk areas, those with fewer than 50 cases or those with over 50 but without a concentrated outbreak are classified as mid-risk areas, and those with over 50 cases as well as a concentrated outbreak are classified as high-risk areas.