City where outbreak began ends lockdown
The first train departing Wuhan in two months set off on Wednesday (April 8) the day the city was no longer sealed off from the rest of the world.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to leave by air, rail and road.
38-year-old Liu Jia is one of many who have been eagerly waiting for this moment, when they can finally reunite with their loved ones.
(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 38-YEAR-OLD LIU JIA, SAYING:
"I planned to go home during the Chinese New Year, but because of the epidemic I didn't get to do so... My family asks me every day when can I come home."
The long lines of passengers at Wuhan's Hankou Station and free-flowing traffic of cars on the city's highways stand in stark contrast to the empty stations and blocked-off roads from just a month ago.
But the lifting of travel restrictions doesn't mean the city is in the clear.
34-year-old Wang Lei works at a toll station in Wuhan.
(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 34-YEAR-OLD STAFF AT TOLL STATION, WANG LEI, SAYING:
"There are definitely more cars now, but still less compared to before the virus. Now we are seeing traffic slowly recovering."
Many locals are still wearing masks and even hazmat suits for protection, and health officials are closely checking travelers' temperatures, especially as China faces a second wave of cases primarily imported from overseas.
However, that isn't stopping the majority of Wuhan's population from celebrating this milestone.
Yang Jing was one of the staffers on the first train leaving the city.
(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) STAFF ON THE FIRST TRAIN DEPARTING FROM HANKOU STATION, YANG JING, SAYING:
"Since I got off work on January 23rd, I have kept waiting for notification at home, until I got the notice yesterday asking me to go with the first train departing from Hankou station today... It feels like normal."
