Passengers board train as Wuhan lockdown lifted

Life slowly took on a semblance of normalcy in Wuhan on Wednesday (local time, Tuesday 2325 GMT) after Chinese authorities lifted the 11-week lockdown, allowing residents to once again travel in and out of the city where the coronavirus pandemic began.

Passengers were seen boarding the first train to leave Hankou railway station to travel out of the sprawling industrial city.

Wuhan's 11 million residents are now permitted to leave without special authorisation - as long as a mandatory smartphone application powered by a mix of data-tracking and government surveillance shows they are healthy and have not been in recent contact with anyone confirmed to have the virus.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and a cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.