As new cases of the coronavirus continue to decline in China, thousands of people have started to flood back into controversial wet markets across the country.

The city of Wuhan, which has been considered ground zero for the virus outbreak, has started to reopen after being placed on a strict two-month lockdown.

The virus was detected in December and is thought to have originated in a market in the city that sold wild animals for human consumption.

A number of animals, including bats and the highly endangered pangolin, have been identified as possible culprits for the virus.

The Wuhan Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market was shut down in January and in February China declared an immediate and “comprehensive” ban on the trade and consumption of wild animals.