Hundreds of shoppers pack a wet market on a December weekday morning in the Chinese city of Wuhan, jostling to buy fresh vegetables and live fish, frogs and turtles.
Almost a year since the city reported the world's first cases of COVID-19 in one of its handful of vast wet markets, and even as several other countries remain firmly in the grip of the subsequent pandemic, life in Wuhan has largely returned to normal.
People wearing protective masks walk at a street market almost a year after the start of the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Few hints remain of Wuhan's early role in the coronavirus pandemic, which has since infected more than 67 million people globally, killing around 1.5 million people. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters
People walk at a main shopping area almost a year after the global outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan. Wuhan has not recorded a new locally transmitted case in several months and is now indistinguishable from other Chinese cities with crowded shopping streets, traffic jams and tightly packed restaurants. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters
A clown interacts with people while doing promotions at a main shopping area almost a year after the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Wuhan. In the busy streets, hawkers sell flowers and balloons, street performers including dancers and a clown perform while music blares from shops lining the road. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters
People wearing face masks are seen at a main shopping area in Wuhan. The city's recovery is a sharp contrast to other major economies heading into the Christmas and New year holiday season. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters
A vendor holds Chinese yuan notes as a customer pays for lamb at a wet market in Wuhan. China's relative success in controlling the virus has become a key talking point in Chinese state media. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters
Local snacks are seen at a street market almost a year after the global outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan. While shoppers have returned to Wuhan's streets, business is yet to return fully to normal. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters
A man holds a bowl of noodles at a wet market in Wuhan. For many residents, lockdown memories have been superseded by the city's swift reopening -- alongside new precautions. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters
Fish vendors prepare fish for sale at a wet market almost a year after the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Wuhan. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters
