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In Pictures: Life in Wuhan, coronavirus epicentre

Millions of people are under lockdown in China’s Hubei province in a bid to stop the deadly virus from spreading.

The Yangtze River Bridge lies deserted. [Getty Images]
The Yangtze River Bridge lies deserted. [Getty Images]
9 Feb 2020

Authorities have all but shut down Wuhan, a city of 11 million and a major transport hub, as the death toll from the novel coronavirus outbreak surged past 800 in mainland China, overtaking global deaths during the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic. 

The total number of coronavirus infections in China has risen to more than 37,000.

The coronavirus is thought to have originated in a seafood market in Wuhan – in northern China’s Hubei province – that reportedly sold exotic animals for consumption, similar to the outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). The virus is believed to have jumped from an animal to a human host.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday said the number of cases being reported daily in China appeared to be stabilising.

WHO’s representative in Beijing, Gauden Galea, also said the “unprecedented” move to lock down Wuhan was “a very important indication of the commitment to contain the epidemic in the place where it is most concentrated”, adding that such a directive was beyond the organisation’s guidelines.

Lying on the banks of the mighty Yangtze River, flood-prone Wuhan measures 8,500 square kilometres (3,300 square miles), five times the size of Greater London, and includes rural areas as well as a sprawling conurbation.

Much of Wuhan remains sealed off as China tries to contain the spread of the virus by enforcing travel limitations and implementing quarantines that have affected an estimated 60 million people. [Getty Images]
Much of Wuhan remains sealed off as China tries to contain the spread of the virus by enforcing travel limitations and implementing quarantines that have affected an estimated 60 million people. [Getty Images]
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The death toll in mainland China from the coronavirus has surged to 811, the National Health Commission said on Sunday. [Getty Images]
The death toll in mainland China from the coronavirus has surged to 811, the National Health Commission said on Sunday. [Getty Images]
Adequate space and supplies were a problem in Wuhan and other cities in Hubei during the first two weeks of lockdown. [Getty Images]
Adequate space and supplies were a problem in Wuhan and other cities in Hubei during the first two weeks of lockdown. [Getty Images]
Hubei will keep its schools shut until at least March 1 to control the coronavirus outbreak, the Communist Party-run People's Daily newspaper said, citing the local education bureau. [Getty Images]
Hubei will keep its schools shut until at least March 1 to control the coronavirus outbreak, the Communist Party-run People's Daily newspaper said, citing the local education bureau. [Getty Images]
A resident lays flowers in tribute to Dr Li Wenliang at the hospital where he worked. Li, who died of the disease and has been hailed as a national hero, was reprimanded by officials after warning about the virus in December. [Getty Images]
A resident lays flowers in tribute to Dr Li Wenliang at the hospital where he worked. Li, who died of the disease and has been hailed as a national hero, was reprimanded by officials after warning about the virus in December. [Getty Images]
A masked man sits in an art installation in a traditional food street in Wuhan. [Getty Images]
A masked man sits in an art installation in a traditional food street in Wuhan. [Getty Images]
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More people have now died from coronavirus in China than did worldwide during the 2002-2003 outbreak of SARS. [Getty Images]
More people have now died from coronavirus in China than did worldwide during the 2002-2003 outbreak of SARS. [Getty Images]
Major airlines have suspended flights to and from China and several countries have evacuated their citizens from Wuhan and the wider Hubei province in a bid to stop the spread of the infection. [Getty Images]
Major airlines have suspended flights to and from China and several countries have evacuated their citizens from Wuhan and the wider Hubei province in a bid to stop the spread of the infection. [Getty Images]
Trains and other forms of public transportation have been suspended, roads sealed off and checkpoints established at toll gates around Wuhan. The special measures have been extended to other cities in Hubei province. [Getty Images]
Trains and other forms of public transportation have been suspended, roads sealed off and checkpoints established at toll gates around Wuhan. The special measures have been extended to other cities in Hubei province. [Getty Images]
New cases of infection with the novel coronavirus are being reported daily around the world. [Getty Images]
New cases of infection with the novel coronavirus are being reported daily around the world. [Getty Images]
The Wuhan lockdown is unprecedented in scale, affecting tens of millions of people. [Getty Images]
The Wuhan lockdown is unprecedented in scale, affecting tens of millions of people. [Getty Images]
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