Wuhan all clear should help lift psychological lockdown on residents

Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, completed nucleic acid tests on its nearly 10 million residents on Monday, the authorities tasked with novel coronavirus prevention and control told a media briefing on Tuesday.

Local officials and public health experts said no confirmed novel coronavirus cases were found among the 9,899,828 Wuhan residents who underwent the tests between May 14 and Monday. Three hundred asymptomatic cases, or people carrying the virus but not displaying clinical symptoms, were detected. However, the 1,174 persons who had come in close contact with the asymptomatic carriers all tested negative.

Officials said the local government paid for the mass nucleic tests, costing less than 100 yuan ($14.06) per head thanks to centralized procurement of medical supplies.

In addition, the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention collected 2,314 samples from Wuhan's taps; sewage; public transport vehicles such as buses, subway trains and taxis; and public spaces such as shopping malls, restaurants and parks. They all tested negative for the novel coronavirus.

The results of these tests demonstrate the huge success in Wuhan's fight against the novel coronavirus. Which shows the authorities took the right decision to lock down the city following the outbreak in January, and residents made tremendous sacrifices thereafter. As indicated by Wuhan executive vice-mayor Hu Yabo at the media briefing, the test results should also mean the lifting of a psychological lockdown against the people of Wuhan.

Even though the lockdown on Wuhan city was officially lifted on April 8, many regions still require people coming from Wuhan to be quarantined for 14 days. And Wuhan residents continue to face discrimination because some people fear they may be infected by interacting with them.

However, following the mass nucleic acid test results, any discrimination against Wuhan residents should come to an end to protect their legal rights and interests.