A huge red banner welcomed more than 11,000 students in Wuhan for a massive graduation ceremony over a year after the city was battered by the first global outbreak of Covid-19.

Almost 9,000 students, many of whom could not attend a graduation ceremony last year, gathered in Wuhan sans face masks and social distancing
Almost 9,000 students, many of whom could not attend a graduation ceremony last year, gathered in Wuhan sans face masks and social distancing AFP / STR

Students in navy gowns and mortarboards sat in crowded rows, without social distancing or face masks, beneath the sign that read: "Welcoming the graduates of 2020 back home. We wish you all a great future."

Covid-19 first emerged in late 2019 in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province, sending the city of 11 million into one of the world's strictest lockdowns.

Wuhan hosted a graduation ceremony with nearly 9,000 students in attendance on Sunday, with the pandemic largely under control across China
Wuhan hosted a graduation ceremony with nearly 9,000 students in attendance on Sunday, with the pandemic largely under control across China AFP / STR

Restrictions were not eased until April when the city started to re-open after 76 days closed off, although schools remained shut for longer.

The city held limited graduation ceremonies last year, with Wuhan University hosting a mostly-online event in June last year, with the students and teachers who did attend all in masks.

Wuhan hosted a graduation ceremony for nearly 9,000 students, over a year after Covid-19 was first discovered in the central Chinese city
Wuhan hosted a graduation ceremony for nearly 9,000 students, over a year after Covid-19 was first discovered in the central Chinese city AFP / STR

More than 2,200 students at Sunday's ceremony were graduates who could not attend their graduation last year due to tight virus restrictions.

China has since largely contained the outbreak while keeping precautions high, including tight border controls, quarantines, mandatory online "health codes" and varying restrictions on domestic travel.

There were 20 new cases on Tuesday, including 18 imported from overseas and two in a local outbreak in southern Guangdong province.

There have been 4,636 deaths officially reported, the majority in Wuhan.

Quoting a line of ancient Chinese poetry, the banner offered students advice for the future: "The ocean is boundless for leaping fish."

Coronavirus