A spectacular light show preceded ending of coronavirus lockdown in Wuhan

A midnight light show on either side of the Yangtze river, which flows through China's Wuhan, brightened up the skyline and marked the culmination of the coronavirus lockdown in the city.

China ended coronavirus lockdown measures in Wuhan 11 weeks after it became the epicentre of what has since developed into a global crisis. The shutdown came as the coronavirus began spreading to the rest of China and overseas during the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, when many Chinese travel.

Wuhan residents are, however, still urged not to leave their neighbourhoods, the city and even the province unless necessary, health officials said on Tuesday.

The lifting of the restrictions was preceded by skyscrapers and bridges radiating animated images of health workers healing patients. The display was a tribute to the "heroes" in the battle against the coronavirus outbreak.

One such image bore the words "heroic city", a title given to the city by President Xi Jinping.

People waved flags along the embankments, and chanted "Wuhan, let's go!" and sang capella renditions of China's national anthem.

Despite fears of a second wave of infection if such restrictions are eased too soon, the topic “Wuhan lifts lockdown” quickly became the top trending topic on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform, with posters leaving comments such as “welcome back Wuhan”.

The exact source of the novel coronavirus remains under investigation, though it is thought to be linked to an outdoor food market in the city. Theories also say the virus was developed in a laboratory.

(with inputs from agencies)