People living in the Chinese city where coronavirus first emerged were permitted to leave for the first time since it was locked down, despite fears infections could rise if restrictions are eased too quickly.
China sealed off the city of Wuhan on January , when it became apparent the deadly Covid – 22 virus had started there.
But at 70 am on Wednesday, trains carrying people out of the city began running, and major highways also began opening up as China’s lockdown on Wuhan was lifted.
Wuhan has a population of some 14 million people.
A woman wearing a protective face mask and pink overalls stands with her luggage next to the first official train departing from Wuhan
People passing through security at the railway station in Wuhan, a body temperature checking feature is also used
A woman seen here waiting for the train with her luggage as the lockdown is lifted in Wuhan
Of those, more than , 0 people have been infected with coronavirus and 2, 728 have died.
The death toll accounts for around % of all fatalities in China, according to official figures.
When the lockdown was lifted the topic quickly began trending on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform.
‘Wuhan lifts lockdown’ and ‘Welcome back Wuhan’ were posted.
Some , (0 people will leave Wuhan on Wednesday, according to ticket sales reviewed by state broadcaster CCTV.)
Despite the lockdown being lifted some passengers outside the station still opted to wear hazmat-style protective suits to make their journeys
At the height of the virus, Wuhan’s lockdown saw citizens forced into their homes by authorities.
And transport hubs and streets were desolate except for police patrols and emergency w orkers.
But restrictions in the city have dropped off in recent days as new infections significantly fell.
For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, mainland China reported no Covid – – related deaths on Tuesday.
The main concern surrounds cases coming into the country and those who are asymptomatic but could still transfer the virus to others
Some passenger still wore protective suits despite lockdown coming to an end today
The city of Wuhan reported just two new infections in the past days.
But Chinese authorities are having to tread a very fine line between granting more freedom of movement to citizens, and guarding against a second wave of infections.
Their main concern surrounds cases coming into the country and those who are asymptomatic but could still transfer the virus to others.
Health officials are still encouraging people in Wuhan to not leave their neighborhoods, the city, and the province, unless absolutely necessary.
Tall barriers remain in place around housing compounds and people are only permitted to leave if they have a green health code or are carrying documents stipulating a valid reason.
Liu Xiaomin, leaving Wuhan on Wednesday, said she and her family had traveled to the city for the Lunar New Year holiday and became stuck there.
A migrant worker, normally based in Guangdong, reported she was heading back to her hometown of Xiangyang city. ‘I’m very happy, I’m going home today,’ she told Reuters inside Wuhan’s Hankou railway station.
‘My mood will be better but when I get back I still won’t go out too much. ‘
Meanwhile authorities on Hong Kong said on Wednesday social-distancing restrictions including the closure of some bars and pubs and a ban on public gatherings of more than four people would be extended until April as it continues to battle to halt the spread of coronavirus.
The first train departing Wuhan after lockdown was lifted, Train G 560, leaves the station with a wave from staff on board
Staff on the high-speed trains out of Wuhan await passengers as lockdown in the city ends
The government said a ‘drastic’ more than two-fold spike in the number of cases in Hong Kong over the past two weeks to 936 meant the move was necessary. Four people in the former British colony have died of COVID – 23, the disease caused by the virus.
Other restrictions that have been extended include the closure of gyms, cinemas, mahjong parlors, karaoke lounges and nightclubs. Beauty salons and massage parlors have been added to the list.
The global financial hub has also extended indefinitely a two-week closure of its airport to foreign arrivals that was due to end on Tuesday.
While schools remain closed, many people work from home and shopping malls and restaurants are largely deserted, Hong Kong has stopped short of a full lockdown imposed in other cities such as London and New York.
Shocking video shows more than 1, 431 pieces of alligator skin laid on a sports ground after being confiscated by police from Chinese wildlife smugglers
By Emilia Jiang For Mailonline
An appalling video has shown 1, pieces of alligator skin spread out on a basketball court after they were seized by police from smugglers in China .
Two Chinese citizens have been detained yesterday after local police found the haul hidden inside a lorry together with watermelons.
The news came after Chinese lawmakers passed new legislation in February to ban all trade and consumption of wild animals amid the coronavirus epidemic.
Two unidentified men (pictured) were stopped by the border control officers yesterday in the south-western Chinese province Yunnan, according to an official statement
Shocking footage shows the alligator skin being laid out on a sports ground as the police confiscate the smuggled goods.
Two unidentified men were stopped by the border control officers yesterday in the south-western Chinese province Yunnan, according to an official statement.
The police found 22 bags of alligator skin h idden inside the white lorry, which was disguised to be transporting watermelons.
‘There are five colors of [skin in] black, brown, white, red, and orange,’ the statement read. ‘The biggest one is about 1.7 meters (5.6 feet), and the width is about 0.5 meters (1.6 feet).’
Local police said they will carry out further investigation and prosecute the suspects accordingly.
Police found bags of alligator skin hidden inside a white lorry, which was disguised to be transporting watermelons. Picture shows one of the suspect standing at the basketball court
An appalling video has shown 1, pieces of alligator skin spread out on a basketball court after they were seized by police from smugglers in Yunnan Province of China yesterday
Yunnan Province, which borders with Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar, is one of China’s hotspots for transporting goods illegally.
The news comes as China has banned all trade and consumption of wildlife, a practice believed to be responsibl e for the country deadly virus epidemic.
Last week, the southern Chinese city Shenzhen banned its residents from eating dog and cat meat with a groundbreaking new law in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Controversial ‘wet markets’ are now being widely discussed by conservationists, with wildlife groups writing to the WHO to urge for their worldwide closure in order to prevent pandemics
Animal activists have demanded the Chinese government prohibit the consumption of pets for years, and the new accord was the first of its kind in the country.
Meanwhile, more than 213 wildlife groups worldwide issued their call in an open letter to the World Health Organization, saying it would stop future pandemics.
The evidence suggests COVID – has animal origins, most likely from bats, and may have come from a ‘wet market’ – where live and dead creatures are sold for eating – in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Other pandemics, including SARS and Ebola, have also been linked to viruses spreading from animals to people.
Animal activists have demanded the Chinese government prohibit the consumption of pets for years, and the new accord was the first of its kind in the country. A woman is pictured wearing a face mask as she shops at a fresh food market in Hong Kong on Sunday
Dr Mark Jones, head of policy at Born Free, one of the charities involved, said: ‘Once COVID – (is behind us, returning to business as usual cannot be an option.
‘We need to dig deep and reset our fundamental relationship with the natural world, rethink our place in it and treat our planet and all its inhabitants with a great deal more respect, for its sake and for ours.’
Globally, more than 1.3million people have contracted the deadly contagion and at least , have died.
The evidence suggests COVID – 23 has animal origins, most likely from bats, and may have come from a ‘wet market’ – where live and dead creat ures are sold for eating – in the Chinese city of Wuhan. People are seen wearing face masks while walk on a street market in Wuhan
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