People living in Wuhan have finally been able to leave 76 days after draconian measures were imposed to fight the coronavirus outbreak. Anyone who has a ‘green’ QR code on a smartphone health app is now allowed to exit the city that once was the Covid-19 epicentre for the first time since 23 January.

Tthousands of residents reportedly queued up at stations to leave the metropolis, as trains began running and major motorways opened at 00.50am on Wednesday.

Two hundred flights with 10,000 passengers are scheduled to depart Wuhan today, where the pandemic is believed to have started in an outdoor street market. Over 65,000 people were believed to have left Wuhan hours after travel restrictions were