WUHAN, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Hubei, the hard hit province in the novel coronavirus outbreak, will introduce differentiated neighborhood management policy as the number of patients continues to drop, the provincial health authorities said at a press conference on Saturday.

The neighborhood lock-down policy will be completely lifted in both city and rural areas in those low-risk areas, according to Liu Dongru, deputy head of the provincial health commission.

Such policy will be loosened in the midium risk areas, while the neighborhoods in the high-risk areas will still be locked down with traffic control implemented and gatherings banned, according to Liu.

As of Thursday, all places in Hubei are considered low to medium risk areas except for Wuhan, the provincial capital and epicenter of the outbreak, Liu said, adding that more attentions should be paid to the prevention of imported cases at those low-risk areas.

In the low and medium-risk areas, flights, trains and buses within the province will gradually return to normal operation as well, according to Zhu Hanqiao, head of the provincial department of transportation.

Meanwhile, the provincial government is working to help local migrant workers to resume work. Migrant workers will be allowed to travel inside the province by chartered buses provided by employers or driving by themselves, after passing the health check.

Four new cases and 13 deaths were reported on Friday in the province. No new confirmed cases has been reported for nine consecutive days in its 16 cities and prefectures outside Wuhan.

Of the 10,485 hospitalized patients in the province, 2,896 were still in severe condition and another 647 in critical condition.