Wuhan emerges from the shadow of COVID-19

"The outpatient's reception hall was packed with people. There was not even time for medical workers to worry about getting infected — all we could think about was to see as many patients as possible. The outbreak hit Wuhan so suddenly and fiercely. However, we soon got the help we desperately needed," Zhao said.

To help the overstretched medical workers and resources, the central government decided to send medical teams from other provinces and regions to the city. The first batch arrived on Jan 24, 2020. About 40,000 medical workers volunteered to come and aid the city, which was seen as the main battlefield in China's war on COVID-19.

What's more, to contain the outbreak, the central government made the unprecedented decision to put Wuhan under lockdown from Jan 23, 2020. On April 8, the 76-day lockdown was lifted after the initial outbreak was brought under control.

"Looking back, if there had been any slight hesitation in implementing those measures, the country would have faced irretrievable losses. The development of the epidemic would have been like seeing a drop of ink expanding in all directions in water. It would have gotten out of control," Zhao said.

During the lockdown, all transportation links from Wuhan to the outside world were suspended and people were ordered to stay home to stop the virus from spreading. It may seem a brief period now, but the people of Wuhan had no idea how long the situation would last or when the outbreak would be contained.