Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Thousands leave Wuhan as travel ban finally lifted

As the ban was lifted on schedule at midnight, many passengers expressed joy and relief as they filed into Wuhan's Wuchang station, leaping at the chance to board overnight trains heading out of town.
Thousands of mainland travellers flocked to catch trains leaving coronavirus-ravaged Wuhan early on Wednesday as authorities lifted a more than two-month ban on outbound travel from the city where the global pandemic first emerged.

"Wuhan has lost a lot in this epidemic, and Wuhan people have paid a big price," said a 21-year-old man surnamed Yao, who was heading back to his restaurant job in Shanghai.

"Now that the lockdown has been lifted, I think we're all pretty happy."

Government estimates have said that as many as 55,000 people are expected to flow out on Wednesday by train from the city, which was placed under an unprecedented quarantine lockdown on January 23.

Some could barely contain their happiness.

"I've been stuck for 77 days! I've been stuck for 77 days!" shouted one man from the neighbouring province of Hunan, who was in Wuhan when it was sealed off.

The lockdown made Wuhan the first place in the world subjected to draconian containment steps now seen in many countries.

It was quickly followed by the rest of surrounding Hubei province, confining tens of millions of people to their homes and cutting the province off from the rest of the world as transport in and out was halted to prevent transmission of the virus.

Chinese media outlets hailed the removal of the travel ban, with headlines posted on their websites after midnight saying: "Wuhan, long time, no see."

Hubei and the provincial capital Wuhan have suffered the majority of China's officially claimed tally of more than 81,000 overall infections and more than 3,300 deaths.

An announcement blaring over the train station PA system said: "Wuhan deserves to be called the city of heroes. Wuhan people deserve to be called heroes."

Despite the measures taken in Hubei, the pathogen spread across China and the world.

But Communist Party authorities -- who are accused of a slow response and an initial attempt to cover up the outbreak -- have claimed recent success in bringing the virus to heel, though questions over the accuracy of its reported case numbers persist.

Its official national tally of coronavirus deaths and overall cases has plummeted in recent weeks, with the National Health Commission saying Tuesday that no new deaths had been logged in the preceding 24 hours.

That was the first fatality-free day since China began publishing figures in January.

Relief over China's falling virus numbers has been tempered, however, by caution over new risks: rising numbers of infected people arriving from abroad -- primarily returning Chinese citizens -- and the invisible threat of asymptomatic cases.

Hubei residents had been confined to their homes until about two weeks ago, when restrictions began to be eased, triggering a resumption of inbound travel from other parts of China.

Authorities, however, had waited until Wednesday to allow normal traffic out of Wuhan amid continued fears in the rest of the country that people from the city pose a risk.

Chinese disease-control officials said in January that the virus likely leapt from wildlife to humans at a Wuhan market that sold a wide range of wild animals for food.

Wuhan authorities said at the weekend that various restrictions on movement would remain in place to guard against a second wave of infections, arguing that "even greater vigilance is needed" now that the travel ban has been dismantled.

People from Wuhan also face hurdles getting out.

They must show proof that their area of origin has been declared safe from the virus, and many face the likelihood of two-week quarantines in their destination provinces.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×