WUHAN — China's Hubei province, once hit hard by COVID-19, will lower its emergency response from level II to III starting on June 13, a local official announced on June 12.

Yang Yunyan, vice-governor of Hubei, said COVID-19 prevention and control measures will be adjusted and optimized accordingly.

The province will gradually open public venues and resume conferences, exhibitions, trans-provincial tourism and classes in an orderly way, Yang said.

By the end of June 11, no new asymptomatic cases had been reported in the provincial capital Wuhan for 12 consecutive days, and other areas of the province had seen no such cases for nine days.

Hubei lowered its COVID-19 emergency response from the top level to the second level on May 2.

The liaison group of the State Council joint prevention and control mechanism against COVID-19 urged Hubei to continue to make COVID-19 prevention and control a priority and advance the orderly resumption of cultural and tourism sectors.

Also on June 12, 20 investment projects with a total value of 65.8 billion yuan (about $9.3 billion) were signed at a special event for leading global companies to aid Wuhan. The projects cover autos and parts, smart manufacturing, health and medicare, logistics, education and financing.