The historical city of Wuhan, the hardest-hit by COVID-19, is a popular tourist destination. It boasts some of China's best cherry blossom displays at tourism spot East Lake. Photo: Xinhua

Wuhan, the hardest-hit city in central China's Hubei Province by the outbreak of COVID-19, welcomes people to travel in the upcoming Labor Day holiday beginning May 1, as the ratio of asymptomatic cases of coronavirus infections in Wuhan is low.

Hu Yabo, deputy mayor of Wuhan, introduced the data of asymptomatic cases in Wuhan during an interview with cctv.com on Thursday. Wuhan has found 130 asymptomatic cases from 226,000 nucleic acid tests in the first week after it lifted its lockdown on April 8, recording a ratio of about 0.057 percent.

From April 8, companies in Wuhan resuming work found 113 asymptomatic cases out of 143,000 nucleic acid tests performed on employees, which means a ratio lower than 0.08 percent. Nucleic acid tests were given to those who were close contacts of coronavirus carriers, and none tested positive, said Hu. 

Aerial photo taken on April 8, 2020 shows cars passing an expressway toll station in northern Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. Photo: Xinhua

"The resumption of tourism in Wuhan can be regarded as a symbolic win in China's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic," Zhou Xuezhi, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Since the reopening of Wuhan, about 661,000 passengers have entered and left Wuhan by air or rail, a decline of nearly 83 percent from previous years, latest data showed. During the first week after the lockdown was lifted, the number of trips to Wuhan made by road travel rose to 3.12 million.

Wuhan welcomes all visitors and there are no restrictions at any points of entry, said Hu.

"The only concern is how many people will travel to Wuhan in the upcoming Labor Day holiday. I don't expect many tourists within a year, as imported cases of coronavirus continue to increase in China," Zhou added.

Always wear a mask, keep social distancing and wash hands more frequently as the pandemic is far from an end, a Beijing-based medic of the immunology department, told the Global Times on the condition of anonymity.