Central China's Hubei Province said on Tuesday it will stick to first-level emergency response in tackling COVID-19, even as its capital, Wuhan, lifts travel restrictions at midnight on Wednesday.

According to a notice issued by Hubei's headquarters for the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic, residents are advised not to leave their communities, Wuhan or Hubei unless it is necessary.

Provincial colleges, primary and secondary schools, secondary vocational schools, technical colleges and kindergartens will continue to postpone the start of new semester, said the notice.

Hours before the notice was issued, Hu Shuguang, Wuhan's Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said epidemic control and prevention remain top priority in Wuhan and people should stay alert.

Hu said that important milestones have been achieved in Wuhan's fight against the coronavirus, as the city's epidemic situation is, in general, continuously improving. Since March 18, when the city reported zero new cases for the first time, the city has only twice reported one new infection on two separate days.

Hu stressed that reporting no new case doesn't mean there's zero risk of the virus in Wuhan. The epidemic control and prevention task remains critical, said Hu.