Central China's Hubei Province announced it will lower its emergency response to the novel coronavirus epidemic from the top level to the second level starting Saturday.

An official made this announcement on Friday at a press briefing, adding that the strategies of the province's prevention and control of the coronavirus will be adjusted accordingly.

The decision came after the province saw no new confirmed COVID-19 cases for 27 consecutive days since April 4.

China has a four-tier response system for public health emergencies that determines what measures it will implement, with level one being the most serious.