Crowds throng Wuhan, where COVID-19 pandemic began, to celebrate New Year

WUHAN: Thousands of New Year revellers packed into the centre of Wuhan, the Chinese city where COVID-19 was first detected, cheering and releasing balloons to welcome in 2021. Police erected fences to try to prevent congestion around the city’s Customs House clock tower, but the measure was ineffective due to the large turnout of mainly young people. “2020 has been a very difficult year for us because we have experienced the epidemic, especially in Wuhan, which is an unforgettable experience for us,” local resident Xu Du told AFP. Most of the crowd wore masks for the celebrations on Thursday (Dec…