Wuhan
Once the lockdown was lifted in Wuhan, public transport was used by more than 624,300 passengers. Credit: Benjamin Chris on Unsplash.

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Wuhan, the original hub of the coronavirus in China, has seen more than 624,300 people use its public transport system after the 76-day lockdown ended.

According to the city’s transport department, 346 buses and boat lines, seven subway lines and taxis have resumed operations.

A total of 184,000 people travelled on buses, 336,300 on subways and 104,000 in taxis, reported the state news agency Xinhua.

Around 52,000 people left Wuhan either by bus, train or air, while 31,000 people entered the city.

With the lifting of lockdown measures on Wuhan eleven weeks after it became the epicentre of Covid-19, 11 million people are allowed to leave the city for the first time since January.

The country reported 82,809 coronavirus cases, while its death toll touched 3,339.

After outbound travel restrictions were lifted, the city witnessed long lines of cars at expressway toll gates and large numbers of passengers boarding trains. As people get back to their work, Wuhan’s traffic police expect vehicles on the roads to reach 1.8 million after 8 April.

The shutdown was imposed on the city after the coronavirus rapidly began spreading to the rest of China and then across the world.

The US today reported the highest number of Covid-19 infections in the world, with 431,838 confirmed cases, while its death toll reached 14,817.

Meanwhile, with 17,669 fatalities, Italy recorded the highest death toll in the world.