In the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where cases of the novel coronavirus was first detected late last year, the mood was one of triumph this week, as residents finally emerged from months of lockdown
This was reflected in state media, as the city which once characterized China’s failures to contain the coronavirus now symbolized the country’s recovery, in stark contrast to the chaos that is rapidly unfolding in much of the rest of the world.
But under that confident facade, there were signs of a concern felt across Asia: that any recovery from the virus may be fleeting, and a new wave of infections — and the lockdowns, death and misery that follow in their wake — may be just over the horizon
Speaking at a meeting of Communist Party leaders this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged “unremitting efforts in guarding against imported cases from abroad and preventing a resurgence of the outbreak at home.”
In Wuhan itself, residents who have undergone testing have been issued QR codes through a government app. Only those with green codes — meaning they are symptom free and passed a coronavirus test — have been permitted to leave their homes. Anyone without such a code will still face restrictions on their movement.
People are also still facing regular temperature checks going in and out of businesses, and suspicion remains that some “healthy” people could still be infectious.
Compared to Europe and the US, China and other Asian countries at the forefront of the pandemic can seem to be living in the future, several steps ahead of the west in terms of response
