Coronavirus: Beijing rush hour back after Xi declares victory

Chinese commuters are celebrating the return of congestion, eager to seize anything that resembles the life they knew before.

Chinese commuters wear protective masks as they ride on a bike at the end of the work day on March 20 in Beijing, where life is reportedly returning to normal.

Traffic jams returned to Beijing in a sign that life is getting back to normal as China declares victory over the virus.

Once-deserted roads are packed with cars during rush hour, and commuters, rather than complaining, are celebrating the return of congestion, eager to seize anything that resembles the life they knew before.

The Chinese were grounded in late January when the authorities declared a public health emergency over the outbreak, which surfaced at the beginning of December in Wuhan. Cities were locked down as people were ordered to stay indoors.

Families, cramped at home, frightened themselves by watching the news showing soaring numbers of infections and deaths.

Beijing commuters wear protective masks as they line up in a staggered formation while waiting for a bus.

With the pandemic hitting hard across the world, China recorded its first day with no new domestic cases of the coronavirus since the government imposed sweeping measures to keep the disease from spreading.

At the time my parents were staying with me, my husband and our three-year-old twins. We did not dare to leave the flat as if the virus were waiting for us outside, ready to attack. Shops then ran out of face masks and disinfectants.

Two months later there is light at the end of the tunnel. The authorities said that for two days there had been no new infections among Chinese based in the country. President Xi has demanded an orderly resumption to everyday life to minimise the impact of the virus on the economy. Satellite images have shown more clusters of light at night across the country, especially in the three main economic zones.

Chinese commuters on a bus in Beijing, China.

“Behind the ever-brighter night are the resumption of operations by hundreds of thousands of shops every day,” Xinhua, the official news agency, said.

In Beijing deliveries have become quicker, almost to pre-outbreak levels because enough people have come back to work. Fresh vegetables, fruit and meat are delivered to the gate of the apartment building within an hour.

Restaurants in Beijing have reopened although diners are still keeping their distance from each other.

Chinese construction workers clock off for the day in Beijing.

By the latest official assessment, the country is now largely considered low risk, and local authorities are under pressure to help businesses to reopen.

Schools in some provinces and regions have been given detailed plans to open in the next two weeks. In Shanghai all cinemas have been asked to prepare for reopening but with extra precautions, such as temperature checks and five disinfectant cleanings a day.

In the southwest city of Chongqing, a deputy mayor went to a restaurant and ordered a full table of food to encourage locals to eat out. “I have not had a hotpot meal for more than two months, and my craving is finally satisfied,” Li Bo said. “It is so delicious.”

The Sunday Times