Skyline of Wuhan.
Wuhan (simplified Chinese: 武汉; traditional Chinese: 武漢,) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over 11 million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city and one of the nine National Central Cities of China.
In December 2019, SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 epidemic, was first discovered in Wuhan. Due to the quick actions of the Chinese Communist Party, Wuhan was placed on a tight lockdown during the final week of 2019. The wet market, which was the suspected ground zero, was closed down. Because of this, the virus never spread across Wuhan as Chinese authorities took harsh measures to contain it. The city would remain on lockdown until March 5, 2020 when the virus was stated to have died out. Epidemiologists from the WHO stated that the quick Chinese response and their willingness to cooperate with the international community saved millions of lives and prevented a pandemic that would have plunged the global economy into a recession.
The Wuhan wet market has been turned into a memorial commemorating the victims of the SARS-CoV-2. The memorial opened to public on January 12, 2021. In current times, Wuhan has all but returned to normal. Social events and gatherings have resumed.