Wuhan nightclubs packed with maskless crowd as China restores pre-pandemic normalcy

China's city of Wuhan, the global epicenter of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in January, has managed to restore the pre-pandemic normalcy as it reopened night clubs that bustled with maskless crowds with zero social distancing. According to a VICE report, revelers were seen flocking in large groups with little adherence to health safety norms as they returned to the nightlife to socialize in pre-pandemic style. Chinese health authorities had earlier deemed the city COVID-free by testing nearly 9.9 million people in a mass testing, tracing, and isolating campaign.

As the city of Wuhan did not register a single coronavirus case since May 10, the nightlife across the province was substantially revived as the crowd returned to the clubs, karaoke lounges, cinema halls, factories, restaurants at pre-pandemic capacities and businesses thrived like before, according to sources of Bloomberg.

In an attempt to permanently eliminate the risks of outbreaks at the public establishments, the visitors were required to scan a health code before entering a club as evidence that they tested negative for COVID-19. An epidemic control official in Wuhan,Luo Ping, confirmed in an interview with China's state-run CCTV  that the citizens had dropped their guards as things returned to pre-pandemic normal, so much so, that they did not even care to wear masks on the streets. Wuhan had imposed a stringent lockdown restricting its nearly 11 million population in home confinement for almost 76 days at the start of the year. 

[People dance at a club in Wuhan in Hubei Province. Credit: AP]

[Chinese socializing at restaurants. Credit: AP]

[A post-pandemic pool party in Wuhan. Credit: AP]

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Shoppers 'swarmed' stores

According to a report by Chinese broadcaster CGTN, China's streets, shopping centers, and markets are bustling with people again, as no new confirmed cases were recorded for months. The officially sanctioned passenger trains arrived in Wuhan City months ago, followed by the major transportation and industrial hub resuming services. Shoppers swarmed in long queues outside brands and stores without masks as though the coronavirus had never struck the city, meanwhile as the EU, UK, and the US struggle with the deadly resurgence of the disease. According to DW, a 29-year-old English teacher named Yen told reporters on the ground that they hadn't witnessed outbreaks or large scale infections in Wuhan for several months.

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