Wuhan, the Chinese city where the new coronavirus reported to have emerged from, has ended its more-than two-month lockdown.
China sealed off Wuhan, a central city of 11 million people, on January 23, a drastic step that came to symbolise its aggressive management of the virus.
More than 50,000 people in Wuhan were infected, and over 2,500 died – about 80 percent of all deaths in China.
The virus has since spread around the world, infecting more than 1.4 million people, with over 83,500 deaths.
While China has managed to curb its coronavirus pandemic, the measures to contain it have exacted a heavy economic and social toll, with many residents in recent days expressing relief as well as uncertainty and worry over the lingering danger of infection.
Some travellers wore full protective suits, long raincoats or face shields.
Residents have been urged not to leave Wuhan or Hubei province, or even their neighbourhood, unless absolutely necessary.
“We are acutely aware that we must not relax as we have not claimed final victory,” Hubei vice governor Cao Guangjin said at a news conference on Wednesday.
“We need to remain calm, and be just as cautious at the end as at the beginning.”
Shopping malls and the city’s biggest shopping belt, the Chu River and Han Street, reopened on March 30. Long queues, with customers urged to stand a metre apart, formed at supermarkets while some residents took advantage of the warmer weather to resume outdoor badminton games and dancing.