Those living in the original epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak will soon have some of their freedom back, as the Chinese province of Hubei will begin letting most residents leave their cities for the first time in two months.
CNN reported that the lockdown on Wuhan, where the virus originated, will be lifted on April 8 as government officials in the province claimed new cases of coronavirus dropped significantly over the past five days – to just one new case on Tuesday. China, however, has shown that it is willing to lie and cover up its own role in the coronavirus outbreak, so one must be at least a little skeptical about whether or not new cases are not being confirmed in Wuhan.
Other cities in the Hubei providence will have their lockdown lifted on Wednesday, March 25. As The New York Times reported, most of Hubei’s 60 million residents will be able to travel more than they have been, but that does not mean things will go back to normal for the citizens.
“Hubei officials, in announcing the lifting of restrictions, acknowledged that normalcy was still not yet at hand. Schools will remain closed until a ‘scientific assessment’ determines when they can safely reopen, the announcement said. Local officials should also be careful not to let a surge in travel cause a new wave of infections, it said,” the Times reported. “There will also be limits on who is allowed to travel: Those seeking to leave Hubei must have a ‘green’ health code from the local authorities, certifying that they are healthy. The Chinese government has been classifying citizens’ health risks using technology on their smartphones.”
NBC reported that residents can obtain a green, yellow, or red health code, depending on their symptoms.
“The colors are assigned according to the provincial epidemic control database: people who have been diagnosed as confirmed, suspected or asymptomatic cases, or people with a fever will receive the red color code; their close contacts will receive the yellow code; and people without any record in the database will get the green code — meaning they’re healthy and safe to travel,” the outlet reported.
Hubei officials encouraged production to restart to “work hard to minimize the losses caused by the epidemic, and regain normal economic and social development of the province as soon as possible.”
Hubei “has accounted for the majority of infections and deaths in China, with 67,801 cases and 3,160 fatalities reported as of Monday,” CNN reported.
Wuhan, which is home to 11 million people, has been on lockdown since January 23, with all entrances and forms of travel blocked to and from the city.
A doctor in the province told the Agence France-Presse that the region is “celebrating today” after the announcement.
“Every day, we saw the number of seriously ill patients decreasing, the situation improving, people being discharged from the hospital. The doctors and nurses are becoming more and more relaxed as the days go by. I am super happy!” she said.