Coronavirus update: Violence erupts in China’s Hubei as residents try to exit

For residents of Hubei, the coronavirus outbreak, which began there last year, has left them to battle a stigma despite assurances from authorities that the disease has been controlled.

Violent clashes erupted on a bridge connecting Hubei province and the neighbouring Jiangxi province on Friday, local media reported, days after China relaxed the coronavirus lockdown in the region.

Street vendors wearing face masks wait for customers at their vegetable stalls in Jingzhou, after the lockdown was eased in Hubei province, the epicentre of China's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. (Reuters File Photo)

Videos on social media showed overturned police vehicles and scuffles breaking out between people and cops after authorities in Jiangxi blocked entry to people travelling from Hubei, according to a Globe and Mail report.

For residents of Hubei, the outbreak, which began there last year, has left them to battle a stigma despite assurances from authorities that the disease has been controlled. People are being turned away from hotels and other homes.