The Chinese city of Wuhan, the starting point of the coronavirus pandemic, has opened its doors and ended its lockdown after 76 days.
11 million people were put under lockdown on 23rd January after the outbreak was deemed out of control. The official figures 2,500 people have died in the city, though it is widely thought that is far short of the true figure.
While the city has opened its doors and traffic has returned to the streets, many restrictions remain in place for now. Schools and colleges remain closed and large gathering and still being discouraged. New cases have dropped dramatically in the city and in China at large, but there is a concern that the return to normal life will result in the spread of the virus again.
City officials made a spectacle of the reopening with a remarkable and slightly controversial New Year's style light show across the city.
#Wuhan celebrating official lockdown break...good news for all pic.twitter.com/7wYOw8z0oe
— Rajesh kumar Chinnappa (@rajeshchennapa) April 8, 2020
A huge number of people have been away from home, separated from families and loved ones for the duration of the lockdown which was announced suddenly in January.
This is the moment Wuhan reopens as 76-day lockdown ends.pic.twitter.com/CdpWl9eXgl
— Wang Xianfeng王险峰 (@WangXianfeng8) April 8, 2020
While there are concerns about the move, the nominal success of the lockdown in Wuhan does bring hope to the rest of the world. With Ireland's restrictions almost two months behind, but with far less of a spread in the community, it offers hope of an end in sight, even if that might be a number of weeks away just yet.
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