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Wearing masks in Wuhan is not mandatory, but most people do it in public. Reuters photos
Hundreds of shoppers packed a wet market on a Monday through Friday December morning in the Chinese city of Wuhan, rushing to buy fresh vegetables and live fish, frogs and turtles.
Almost a year after the city reported the world’s first KOVID-19 cases in one of its several huge wet markets, and while several other countries remain heavily affected by the ensuing pandemic, life in Wuhan has largely returned. the usual rhythm.
“I’m not afraid, what am I afraid of?” Said fish and vegetable vendor We Guangzheng.
She and other merchants on a narrow street, part of a larger wet market, were busy cleaning fish for crowds of shoppers, some of whom were not wearing masks, and city cleaners were spraying the pavement.
There is little left to talk about Wuhan’s initial role in the coronavirus pandemic, which subsequently infected more than 67 million people worldwide and claimed the lives of around 1.5 million.
China reported 27 cases of viral pneumonia in Wuhan to the World Health Organization (WHO) for the first time on December 31.
Authorities closed a wet market in the city the next day after discovering that some patients were vendors or traders.
This marked the beginning of a dark period for the city of 11 million in central China. Infections quickly rose to 50,000 cases, including nearly 4,000 deaths. Authorities responded by swiftly imposing a strict 76-day quarantine and erecting miles of thick yellow fences on the streets of the deserted city to keep people in their homes and businesses closed.
The measures worked. Wuhan has not registered new local cases for several months and is now no different from other Chinese cities, with busy shopping streets, traffic jams and crowded restaurants.
“I really missed those funniest and most exciting times, like shopping and eating with friends,” said Hu Han, a 27-year-old merchant at a busy Wuhan night market that sells Christmas sweaters and other goods.
On the busy street, street vendors sell flowers and balloons, street performers, including dancers and clowns, give performances, and loud music comes from the shops along the street.
The city’s recovery contrasts sharply with the situation in other large economies at a time when the Christmas and New Year holidays are approaching.
In the United States, the health care system is under considerable pressure as cases skyrocket and health authorities warn that the worst is yet to come. The country recorded 15,000 deaths last week, the deadliest seven days of the April pandemic.
Several European countries have imposed strict restrictions on pre-Christmas gatherings, fearing a return to peak levels of infection due to Christmas celebrations.
China’s relatively successful performance in controlling the virus has become a key topic of discussion in China’s state media.
“I haven’t been abroad, so I don’t understand the situation there, but watching TV, it seems like other countries don’t prioritize human life,” said Lee, a 54-year-old street food vendor who reopened the store. you in june. “The ideology of other countries is not as good as that of China.”
Greater vigilance
China has taken steps, including massive testing of millions of people after small outbreaks of the virus, to prevent a second wave of infections, as seen in many other cities and countries.
At the entrances to residential complexes, employees in blue tents monitor the health codes on residents’ smartphones. In a public park, slogans on red propaganda posters urge people to remain vigilant.
Wearing masks is not mandatory, but most people do it in public.
And although the streets of Wuhan are once again full of shoppers, Lee and others say that business has not yet fully returned to normal.
“The whole situation is not wonderful, it is still much worse than in recent years,” Lee said, given the significant drop in sales after the quarantine, when people were too scared to return to the streets.
Yet for many residents, memories of the quarantine have passed from the city’s swift return to normalcy, along with new precautions.
“I’m not worried because I’m taking all precautions,” said wet market vendor Nie, who said she would continue to disinfect and boil her clothes. “Even if there is a second wave, I will limit myself to it.”
(BTA)
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