Thousands of New Year revellers packed into the centre of Wuhan, the Chinese city where Covid-19 was first detected, cheering and releasing balloons to welcome in 2021.

Police erected fences to try to prevent congestion around the city's Customs House clock tower, but the measure was ineffective due to the large turnout of mainly young people.

"2020 has been a very difficult year for us because we have experienced the epidemic, especially in Wuhan, which is an unforgettable experience for us," local resident Xu Du told AFP.

Most of the crowd wore masks for the celebrations on Thursday evening, which included a light show.

Wuhan was put under a strict lockdown for more than two months from late January, but has returned to normal life since the summer. Schools fully reopened in September.

"China has controlled the epidemic very well now," said reveller Li Yusu. "But there are still some other countries suffering from the virus. I hope other countries can get through this difficulty as soon as possible."

China has faced widespread criticism over its initial handling of the virus, which emerged in Wuhan, in the central province of Hubei, in December 2019.

The country has been accused of covering up the outbreak and allowing the virus to spread internationally.

Beijing has also recently attempted to cast doubts on whether Covid-19 originated in Wuhan.

On Monday, citizen journalist Zhang Zhan was jailed for four years for reporting on conditions inside Wuhan during the height of the outbreak.

The city of 11 million people was forced into a tough lockdown from January until April and about 4,000 people died, according to Chinese figures.

Related Links
China News from SinoDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Pompeo says jailing of activists shows China 'fragile dictatorship'
Washington (AFP) Dec 31, 2020
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday denounced a Chinese court's jailing of Hong Kong democracy activists who tried to flee by boat, saying it showed Beijing's true face to its citizens and the world. "A regime that prevents its own people from leaving can lay no claim to greatness or global leadership. It is simply a fragile dictatorship, afraid of its own people," Pompeo said in a statement. A court in Shenzhen on Wednesday jailed 10 Hong Kong democracy activists to up to three years ... read more