Daily US Times: The Chinese city of Wuhan reopens partially after more than two months of isolation. The current coronavirus pandemic began from this Chinese city.
On Saturday, crowds and passengers were pictured arriving at Wuhan train station.
According to local media reports, people are allowed to enter the city, but not leave.
The city saw more than 50,000 coronavirus cases while at least 3,000 people in Hubei died from the disease. Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province.
China took drastic actions to curb the outbreak in the country. After months, according to China’s figures, numbers have fallen dramatically.
China reported 54 new cases on Saturday, emerging the previous day – which it said were all imported.
In an attempt to control cases coming from abroad, China has announced a temporary ban on all foreign visitors, even if they have visas or residence permits.
China’s foreign ministry said they are “suspending the entry of foreign nationals” because of the “rapid spread of Covid-19 across the world”.
The temporary ban does not apply to diplomats or those with C visas (usually aircraft crew), though it applies to people with visas and residence passes.
People with “emergency humanitarian needs” or those working in certain fields can apply for exceptions, the foreign ministry said.
Although the rules seem dramatic, a number of Chinese cities already had restrictions for arrivals and many foreign airlines had already stopped flying to the country.
The country also limiting Chinese and foreign airlines to one flight per week, and flights must not be more than 75% full.
What signs are there of Wuhan reopening?
It is believed that the virus has originated in a seafood market in Wuhan that “conducted illegal transactions of wild animals”. Wuhan reopens as a sign of the city is recovering from the virus.
Since the middle of January, the city’s 11 million residents have been shut off from the rest of the world, with roadblocks around the outskirts and drastic restrictions on daily life.
According to a report of Reuters, roads reopened to incoming traffic late on Friday.
And state media said the subway was open from Saturday and trains would be able to arrive at the city’s 17 railway stations.
Guo Liangkai, a 19-year-old family who returns to the city after three months told: “First of all, it makes me very happy to see my family.”
“We wanted to hug but now is a special period so we can’t hug or make any actions like these,” the student added.
All the people who arrived in Wuhan have to show a green code on a mobile app to prove that they are healthy.
Officials say restrictions on people leaving the city will be lifted on 8 April, when domestic flights are also expected to restart.
