• A news report by China.org.cn on the restart of Wuhan after 76 days of lockdown:
In order to curb the COVID-19 outbreak, the painful, yet proper decision to lock down the hardest-hit Wuhan was made on Jan. 23. More than two months on, the city finally lifted its restrictions on outbound travel on April 8.
Wuhan has long been a thriving and beautiful city. Historically, it was known as “the thoroughfare leading to nine provinces.” The city is also the largest water, land and air transportation hub in inland China with direct flights to five continents. Attracted by the clouds drifting gently over the Yellow Crane Tower and the colorful spring blossom, tourists often flock to Wuhan. After over two months fighting COVID-19, however, normal life is now beginning to return. Subway service is now resuming in the city. Locals can go outside for a walk, to enjoy the river views at nighttime, or to savor a bowl of freshly cooked “hot dry noodles” at local restaurants. Zhu Ming, who came to the city with her husband to visit relatives, can finally return to her business in Guangdong province. Meanwhile, Wuhan resident Ms. Xiong is also able to return home after being locked out of her city since going travelling during Spring Festival.
The reboot of Wuhan hasn’t come easily. During the lockdown, locals have stayed home self-isolating to reduce the risk of infection. Two makeshift hospitals, “Huoshenshan” and “Leishenshan,” were quickly built to improve the city’s capacity to receive and treat patients. In addition, over 10 temporary hospitals and numerous quarantine centers were also established for collective medical observation and treatment. These positive and systematic measures have truly turned the epidemic situation around, and bought time for the world to control COVID-19.
However, the re-opening of Wuhan does not mark the end of the epidemic. To prevent a rebound, measures such as the health QR code and real-name registration have been applied in the city to ensure the health of its migrant population as much as possible. This means that once suspected cases appear, they can be traced in time, thereby facilitating the investigation, prevention and control. Enterprises in Wuhan have also gradually resumed work, based on their location, risk and category. Besides, other standard measures have been implemented, such as disinfecting public transport vehicles and spaces, and regularly taking people’s body temperature.
Lifting the lockdown in the hardest-hit city of Wuhan marks that China has gone through its “darkest moment” and allows it to begin to get back on track.
What happened in Wuhan has proved that whilst curbing the spread of COVID-19 is full of challenges, it is not impossible if proper measures are taken. China has been willing to share effective information on COVID-19 with the rest of the world, to provide assistance within its capacity, and to work together to fight the common enemy of all humanity. The “reboot” and “rebirth” of the world is sure to come in the near future.
