Exodus from Wuhan as Chinese mark end of lockdown and make up for lost Lunar New Year travel
- Guangdong a popular choice for Wuhan travellers leaving their province
- 7,100 people left on flights and 55,000 people left the city by train as soon as the railways reopened
Nearly one-tenth of the people who left Wuhan on Thursday travelled to Guangdong, with almost half of those travellers arriving in the two major cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou, according to data collected by the company.
The majority – about two-thirds of the people who left Wuhan – went to neighbouring cities in Hubei province, including Xiaogan, Huanggang and Ezhou, a day after the travel ban lasting over two months was lifted.
Guangdong, one of China’s economic powerhouses, has for decades been a favourite destination for migrant workers across the country, attracting people with its more freewheeling economy and huge manufacturing base.
China’s National Health Commission reported close to 82,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases as of Thursday, with more than 80 per cent of them in Hubei.