One year after coronavirus lockdown, Wuhan is back to normal – Economic, financial and business news

A year ago, the inhabitants of the central chinese city of wuhan They had breakfast with a text message in which the government announced the world’s first coronavirus lockdown, a news which surprised and which will be the prelude to what was going to happen in almost every corner of the planet.

Wuhan, an industrial city of 11 million inhabitants, was paralyzed for 76 days during which China showed the world the speed of light with which he builds hospitals and the discipline and organization of its inhabitants to face a savage situation.

A year later, in the Chinese metropolis where the first case of coronavirus was detected, locals now practice Tai Chi or jog in a park by the Yangtze River as if nothing had happened.

Wuhan was paralyzed for 76 days during which China showed the world the light speed with which it is building hospitals, and the discipline and organization of its people to face an untamed situation.

As life returned to normal in the city, the rest of the world battled more powerful variants of the coronavirus and strives to continue vaccination campaigns despite late deliveries or limited supplies.

Wuhan residents can now go to clubs And the curfew seems far away

“I feel completely safe. The situation is under control and I am no longer afraid,” Li Wenfu, a man in his 50s wearing a black mask, told news agency. AFP.

Because although Wuhan I have not registered any new cases of Covid-19 since last May, the threat of the virus is still there.

In recent weeks, several Chinese regions have re-confined part of their population after limited epidemics.

Huang Genben was sure he was going to die when he was admitted for 67 days last year and “coughs up blood”.

Doubts persist about the origin of the virus and whether Wuhan and the Chinese authorities acted quickly enough and with sufficient transparency.

“At night, when I closed my eyes, I didn’t know if I would reopen them,” said the 76-year-old, who considers himself a “survivor”.

Today there are no official celebrations, although government propaganda reminds us of this.

Yesterday, a documentary aired in theaters across the country to pay tribute to the saviors and the “sacrifice” of thousands of anonymous people at the worst time of the epidemic.

Entitled “Days and Nights in Wuhan”, the film shows doctors treating patients in hospitals where the situation seems under control and avoids dwelling on the deaths and panic that shook the city in early 2020.

Wuhan is responsible for most of China’s 4,635 Covid-19 deaths, a number that remained static for months until the first coronavirus death since May was recorded last week.

The city was largely free from new outbreaks since the closure was lifted on April 8.

Wuhan accounted for the majority of the 4,635 deaths in China from Covid-19, a number that remained static for months until the first death since May was recorded last week.

But Doubts remain about the origin of the virus and whether Wuhan and Chinese authorities acted quickly enough and with enough transparency to enable the world to prepare for a pandemic that has sickened more than 98 million people and killed more than 2 million people.

The arrival last week of a team from the World Health Organization (WHO) reminded that the city is at the center of international research into the origin of the virus.

China today announced 107 more cases, bringing its total since the start of the pandemic to 88,911..

Of these, northern Heilongjiang Province accounted for the highest number with 56. Beijing and the eastern financial center of Shanghai have reported three new cases amid massive testing and hospital and home closures linked to recent outbreaks.

Authorities fear the possibility of a further increase around the Chinese New Year holidays, which begins this year in February, and they advise people not to travel and avoid meetings as much as possible.

Schools closed one week before the start of winter holidays and the use of masks remains practically universal indoors and in public transport.

Authorities use phone apps to track people’s movements and detect if they were in areas where there were suspected cases.