- The city where Covid-19 was first detected is gradually easing its lockdown restrictions, but complacency must not be allowed to set in
China's ending of the lockdown of Wuhan, the city where Covid-19 was first detected, is a significant moment in the fight against the coronavirus. For 76 days, the industrial hub of almost 12 million people was sealed under the toughest of restrictions. As harsh as those measures were, they succeeded; in recent days there have been few deaths or new infections, justifying the restarting of outbound travel and enabling the local economy to begin returning to normal. But while the move is an important milestone and an inspiration for other governments now struggling to control the disease, it does not by any stretch mark an end to the battle.
Wuhan residents are only too aware of that. Although authorities say they are now free to move in and out of the city, it will be some time before their daily routines will be as before. They can travel only if a government app on their phone shows that they have been determined to be in good health and have not been in contact with people infected with Covid-19. Schools are still closed and there are tough rules on businesses, while officials urge everyone to leave their homes only if absolutely necessary.
On the other side of a coronavirus nightmare, Wuhan wakes up to start again
The scars also run deep; of China's almost 80,000 cases, about two-thirds were in Wuhan and the losses of family and friends and the trauma will never be forgotten. But shops are slowly reopening and companies getting back to work, while people are again socialising. The return of traffic jams and crowds at train stations and the airport are proof of how welcome the lifting of travel restrictions are. Strict pandemic control measures remain in place, though, and the threat of a resurgence of the coronavirus from asymptomatic cases and infections coming from outside present new challenges.
But lessons have been learned. The wearing of face masks and other protective gear, widespread temperature checking and hand-sanitising and a reluctance of people to come too close to one another show awareness of the continuing risks. The end of the lockdown of China's eighth-largest city signals the time has come for economic activity to resume. Governments elsewhere fighting Covid-19 can take heart from Wuhan. But even when it seems the battle is being won, there can be no room to let the guard down.
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