Published 14:27 IST, April 8th 2020
COVID-19: China lifts Wuhan lockdown, several throng railway stations
Wuhan,the capital city of Hubei province which was the epicenter of the Coronavirus on April 7 lifted a 76-day lockdown that was imposed to stop the spread.
After witnessing a significant decrease in the number of coronavirus cases, Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province which was the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, lifted a 76-day lockdown that was imposed to stop the spread of the disease. As per reports, thousands of people thronged the stations to catch the trains leaving Wuhan early on April 8. They reportedly gathered at the city's Wuchang station to catch the first trains which were set to pull out people from the city shortly after midnight.
The ban which was removed on April 7 midnight, ended the isolation period that began when the government imposed an unprecedented lockdown in late January in a bid to curb the spread of the disease. The Chinese government imposed a quarantine lockdown on millions of people -- first in Wuhan and then the rest of Hubei province which began on January 23, making the central Chinese city restricted to step out of their house.
Ban lifted from flights
Similar was the scenario when the ban was lifted from the flights where people reportedly stormed the airports to catch the first commercial flight at 7:24 from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport to Sanya in South China’s Hainan Province on April 7. Videos of happy passengers started surfacing the Internet where they can be seen entering the plane and waving at the flight officials. Despite the ban being lifted, the passengers entering were being screened for better precautions.
Strict restrictions have been gradually sinking in recent weeks as the number of new cases has declined. The latest government stats showed April 7 with no new domestic positive case.
Wuhan ends 76-day lockdown
While several questions are being raised regarding the accuracy of China's coronavirus count, the uncommon lockdown of Wuhan and its surrounding province of Hubei were successful enough that the countries around the world adopted similar measures to curb the spread.
During the lockdown, the residents of Wuhan were only allowed out of their house to buy food or attend to other tasks which seemed necessary. Some were even allowed to leave the city, only if they had appropriate paperwork showing they were not a health risk and a letter attesting the purpose behind their visit.
Updated 14:17 IST, April 8th 2020