China lifts travel ban on Wuhan

China officials on Wednesday ended their lockdown of Wuhan, the city in which the first case of novel coronavirus was detected. The Chinese government sealed off the city of 11 million people in January, in an attempt to limit the disease’s outbreak.

Just past midnight on Wednesday, outbound travel ban in Wuhan was lifted. Residents can now exit the city after presenting the authorities with a government-sanctioned phone app that indicates, based on a variety of personal data, whether they’ve been exposed to the illness recently or are potentially contagious.

Though travel estimates are high, many Wuhan residents will remain at home for the time being. Schools remain closed, and authorities are continuing to suggest residents should stay at home as much as possible.

Still, most everyday life is beginning to return for Wuhan residents.

Families have been spotted walking along the Yangtze River, and older residents have begun re-uniting to play Chinese chess in local parks. Companies have begun calling employees back to the office, and businesses have set up curbside windows so that residents can buy cigarettes, alcohol and snacks without entering physical shops.

Wuhan will now become a test case for what happens when a city infected with the virus reopens.