A year ago, our impression of Wuhan darkened after COVID-19 struck. Some media filled our gaps of knowledge with disturbing theories of wet meat markets selling animals we never heard of. However, normality has returned to the most populous city in Central China. It has become a symbol of survival where people pulled together, but is Wuhan the safest coronavirus city in China now?
Wuhan, the Safest Coronavirus City in China Still On Watch
Wuhan’s nickname is ‘China’s Thoroughfare’, and its motto ‘Wuhan Different Everyday’ as came true in December, 2019. However, it must be said the community pulled together when the full impact of the coronavirus became known.
Thanks to this, the city of eleven million people stands as beacon of hope that we can beat the coronavirus if we pull together. New York Times paid a retrospective visit on January 22, 2021.
Things were refreshingly normal, although citizens warned against ‘forgetting the pain after a scar heals’. That’s an ancient saying about not letting go of bad memories, while reveling in the recovery.
The Daily Pleasures Have Returned Bringing Happy Smiles
New York Times found Wuhan has become a place of open faces, joyous get togethers, and convivial daily commutes again. Residents have rediscovered once-forbidden hazards like strolling down shopping streets. And enjoying riverside restaurants, karaoke bars, and music clubs that are once more ‘a hubbub of conversation and song’.
The reporter stopped by the Qingshan Swimming Association on the banks of the Yangtze River. They found ‘wizened retirees’ had returned to wading into the water, amid ‘rocks and concrete lumps dotting the shore’.
When they asked a retired bus driver whether Wuhan is the safest coronavirus city in China he was in no doubt. ‘Wuhan is now the safest city in the whole country,’ he insisted. ‘We won’t catch this illness.’ Perhaps they won’t, provided they remember the pain now the scar has healed.
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Preview Image: Wuhan Yangtze River Tunnel
