Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Wuhan celebrates its ‘liberation’ as Covid-19 lockdown ends

Wuhan celebrates its ‘liberation’ as Covid-19 lockdown ends

Last week the city of Wuhan celebrated the end of its nearly three-month lockdown. Flower beds and trees were planted in parks across from hospitals previously overwhelmed with panicked and sick patients. The streets have been scrubbed clean.
Before midnight last Wednesday, when restrictions barring people from leaving the city were officially lifted, state news outlets sent drones into the sky to film lit-up buildings and bridges. Cars lined up at motorway tollbooths, waiting to leave. Drivers described feeling finally “liberated”. Several housing developments had flags declaring them “virus free”. One said: “Decisive battle, decisive win.”

But for many in the city of 11 million, where at least 2,500 have died from the coronavirus, it has not feel much like a release. “We haven’t felt much of a change,” said Zhang, 50, who lives in the district of Wuchang and has been quarantining at home. “For regular people, the lockdown is not over.”

Wuhan’s exit from lockdown is part of a broader effort by Chinese officials to assure the public that life can return to normal and that authorities have beaten the virus.

“The high-profile re-opening of Wuhan is meant to send a signal that China is getting back to business and work can be resumed. But despite the government efforts, people will be still very cautious,” said Ho-Fung Hung, a lecturer in political economy at Johns Hopkins University. “People can’t easily forget the government’s early missteps in causing the crisis, particularly for those who lost their loved ones or have their health severely impaired.”

In the city, many shops remain closed, with restaurants reopening only for deliveries. Schools, cinemas and other entertainment venues remain shut. Many neighbourhoods are still sealed off, with only those with permission from their employers able to leave regularly to go back to work. While people are freer to come and go, there are constant checkpoints where residents must show their “health code” and have their temperatures taken. Zhang says he has to go through four just to get to his local bus stop.

The continued restrictions, which authorities have said will be lifted in a “gradual and orderly manner”, are an indication that the epidemic – while much eased– is not over.

Many residents are still worried about the number of asymptomatic patients, as well as released patients who retest as positive but do not show symptoms. Others worry about the number of imported cases, as Chinese travellers return from infected countries. Yesterday the National Health Commission reported 46 new cases from the day before, all but four of them from abroad. Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, has seen no new cases for seven days.

“We are still worried and will stay inside. There are still people who have come out that are retesting positive,” said Zhou, 68, who lives in Hankou and who had ventured outside of her home for the first time in two months.

Others said they were eager to return to work but still worried about the possibility of a second outbreak. “Going back to normal doesn’t mean the virus disappears,” said Iris Yao, 41, who also lives in Hankou.

At a recently reopened convenience store just outside Wuhan Youfu Hospital near the Huanan Seafood market where cases were first detected, a store owner said she would not have returned to work if she did not have to. “If I don’t come out, I can’t make money and I cannot eat. If I could, I would stay home,” she said.

Several said their neighbourhoods, after loosening restrictions, had become strict again. Some suspected new infections had emerged. Others said they did not trust what was officially reported. Coco Han, 22, who was infected with the virus in January, remembered how her compound in Wuchang still posted its “virus free” sign even when she was at home sick.

But residents also said they believed the government had made up for early missteps, including being slow to alert the public about the virus and suppressing doctors who attempted to warn residents.

Chen, 60, from the city of Yichang, which was also placed under strict travel curbs at the beginning of the outbreak, had just returned to Wuhan to go back to work. He was proud of the government’s efforts to contain the virus. “The government and the country banded together,” he said. “The party really puts the people first.”
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×