December 30, 2019
An internal notice from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission circulated online, stating that Wuhan had seen cases of pneumonia of "unknown cause."
December 31
The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission issued its first public notice on the outbreak, stating that the city had so far identified 27 cases of "viral pneumonia," but had found no evidence of "clear human-to-human transmission" and no infections among medical staff.
That same day, China's National Health Commission dispatched experts to Wuhan.
January 1, 2020
The Huanan Seafood Market, believed to be the early site of the outbreak, was shut down, and quarantine personnel arrived to test samples from the site.
That same day, the Wuhan Public Security Bureau announced that eight internet users had been "dealt with in accordance with the law" for spreading false information about the outbreak.
January 3
The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission reported that a total of 44 cases of pneumonia of unknown cause had been identified, with no clear evidence of "human-to-human transmission."
Li Wenliang, the Wuhan doctor who was the first to disclose the outbreak to the outside world, was reprimanded by police.
January 8
China's National Health Commission confirmed a "novel coronavirus" as the pathogen behind the outbreak.
Infections among medical staff began appearing at Wuhan hospitals.
January 18
After many days without an update, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission reported 4 new cases.
Wuhan's Baibuting community held a mass gathering, the "Ten-Thousand-Family Banquet," attended by a large crowd.
January 20
Wuhan suddenly reported 136 newly confirmed cases, and other cities including Beijing reported their first cases as well.
That evening, Zhong Nanshan, head of the expert panel for China's National Health Commission, confirmed for the first time that the virus could spread "human to human," and stated that 14 medical staff had been infected.
January 23
Wuhan was placed under lockdown, and outbound transportation routes were shut down. Officials estimated that 5 million people had already left Wuhan by that point.
January 24
On Lunar New Year's Eve, social media was flooded with pleas for help from frontline medical staff, who said protective equipment was in short supply. A surge of patients overwhelmed hospital capacity, leaving many unable to receive treatment.
The authorities announced the emergency construction of Huoshenshan Hospital, to be completed within seven days.
January 26
The United States announced the closure of its consulate in Wuhan and arranged flights to evacuate its diplomatic staff.
January 27
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang traveled to Wuhan to inspect the outbreak response, and the State Council announced an extension of the Lunar New Year holiday.
That evening, large numbers of Wuhan residents opened their windows and sang the national anthem together to boost morale.
February 2
Confirmed cases in Wuhan surged rapidly to 5,000.
The authorities announced that all confirmed patients, suspected cases, patients with fever, and close contacts would be placed under centralized quarantine.
February 3
Huoshenshan Hospital opened and began admitting patients.
Wuhan announced it would set up multiple large "Fangcang" field hospitals to treat patients with mild symptoms.
February 7
Dr. Li Wenliang, regarded as the outbreak's "whistleblower," died after contracting COVID-19 himself, at the age of 34; his death sparked widespread mourning on social media.
February 11
Wuhan announced further tightening of its lockdown measures, imposing closed management on all residential compounds citywide, with residents barred from leaving except under special circumstances.
Image copyright: Getty Images
February 12
Officially reported figures for the Wuhan outbreak reached their peak, with 13,436 newly confirmed cases in a single day, bringing the cumulative total to 32,994 infections and more than a thousand deaths — nearly three times the death toll recorded in mainland China during the SARS outbreak.
February 13
The CCP Central Committee announced the removal of the Party secretaries of both Hubei province and Wuhan city. The mayor of Wuhan had earlier admitted that the local response to the outbreak had been too slow. (Pictured: Ying Yong, the newly appointed Party secretary of Hubei)
Image copyright: EPA
March 5
During an inspection visit by Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan to a residential compound in Wuhan's Qingshan district, numerous residents shouted down at her from their windows to vent their grievances. Some residents shouted "It's fake, it's all fake," accusing their community of selling overpriced vegetables and other misconduct.
March 10
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Wuhan to inspect epidemic prevention work. He visited a residential community and spoke via video link with frontline doctors.
That same day, an article by Chinese media interviewing Ai Fen, the Wuhan doctor who had earlier exposed the outbreak, was censored, sparking outrage on Chinese social media; thousands of internet users created versions of the article in different languages and coded forms to outrun the censors.
March 14
Lockdown measures within Hubei province began to gradually ease. Residents from low-risk communities or communities with no confirmed cases could travel within Hubei using a "green health code."
March 17
Medical aid teams from other parts of China began withdrawing from Wuhan one after another.
March 18
Officially reported new cases in Wuhan fell to zero for the first time. As of that day, Wuhan had recorded a cumulative 67,800 infections, of which 40,765 patients had recovered and been discharged, and 2,496 had died.
March 19
Authorities issued a notice regarding Dr. Li Wenliang, acknowledging that the reprimand police had earlier issued him was improper, but stressing that Li Wenliang was not a so-called "anti-establishment figure." The Wuhan Public Security Bureau announced demerits and administrative warnings for the two police officers from the station involved.
March 26
Multiple funeral homes in Wuhan reopened one after another, as families of COVID victims came to collect their loved ones' ashes; queues formed outside some funeral homes.
March 28
After more than two months of suspension, some subway lines in Wuhan resumed operation.
April 8
Wuhan lifted restrictions on outbound travel and restored external transportation links; Wuhan Tianhe Airport resumed flights, and Wuhan Railway Station also began running outbound trains again.
May 9-10
After more than a month without any new local cases, Wuhan suddenly saw a community outbreak resurface, with 6 new confirmed cases.
May 11
Wuhan authorities announced the launch of a "Ten-Day Battle," conducting nucleic acid testing on nearly the entire population of close to 10 million residents citywide. No confirmed cases were found afterward, but 300 asymptomatic carriers were detected.
Late May
Wuhan's major night markets reopened.
Mid-August
Wuhan's Maya Beach Water Park hosted an electronic music festival that drew thousands of attendees, drawing widespread attention and coverage from international media.
October 15
The Hubei provincial government opened a large-scale special exhibition in Wuhan on the fight against COVID-19, showcasing the sacrifices made and achievements won in the response; the exhibition is set to run for three months.
December 16
The World Health Organization announced that a team of ten international scientific experts would travel to Wuhan the following month to investigate the origins of the coronavirus.