WUHAN — All the cities and counties in Central China's Hubei province had been labeled as low risk except for Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, by the end of March 18, said local authorities.

Four areas listed as medium-risk areas on March 16, consisting of the city of Zhongxiang as well as the urban areas of the cities of Huangshi, Huanggang and Ezhou, had turned to low risk. The urban area of the provincial capital Wuhan remains at a high-risk level, said an expert assessment conducted by the provincial center for disease prevention and control.

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