WUHAN, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in China, Friday asked its residents to stay at home and avoid nonessential outings as the city works to prevent a rebound in the outbreak.

The government of Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, said in a notice that the city's residential communities will continue closed-off management, and residents passing through communities' entries must have their temperatures checked and wear a mask.

The notice warned against slackening vigilance amid the increased flow of people and influx of non-locals. Preventing a rebound in the outbreak remained "an arduous task," it said, citing the emergence of asymptomatic patients, patients who test positive again after being discharged from hospitals and new cases in people arriving from abroad.

Hubei Province reported only one new confirmed case of COVID-19 in the past week, but on Thursday, 51 new asymptomatic patients were registered there, up from 37 on Wednesday.  ■