Wuhan, the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic, partially re-opened after more than two months of isolation

Wuhan, the Chinese city of 11 million people that became the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic, partially re-opened after more than two months of isolation. Wuhan was placed under lockdown in January with residents forbidden to leave, roadblocks ring-fencing the city's outskirts and drastic restrictions on daily life.

But signalling the end of its long isolation, the first officially sanctioned passenger train arrived back into the city just after midnight. "It almost feels like returning to an alien land, because I haven't been back for more than two months. So I really want to take a look," says Gao Xuesong, a worker in Wuhan's auto industry.

China is now battling to control a wave of imported cases as infections soar abroad. People are now allowed to enter the city but not leave, and many trains had been fully booked days in advance. As passengers lined up to exit the station, workers in hazmat suits call for anyone returning from overseas to come forward. All arrivals in Wuhan have to show a green code on a mobile app to prove that they are healthy.

Passengers in Shanghai had their temperatures checked by staff in goggles and masks after boarding their Saturday morning service. Restrictions on residents heading out of Wuhan will not be lifted until April 8, when the airport will also reopen for domestic flights. Wuhan is the last area of Hubei province to see overland travel restrictions lifted, although some highways leading into the city had already reopened.

These developments came amid grim situation in other parts of the world, where governments are forced to impose strict lockdowns across their borders to contain the spread of coronavirus epidemic. Chinese government has been accused by many of failing to restrict the virus within Wuhan when the outbreak was first reported. People were freely moving in and out of Wuhan and all international flights remained operational. The mysterious low level of virus spread in much densely populated cities like Shanghai and Beijing too has given rise to several conspiracy theories.