Violent clashes in China on bridge between Hubei and Jiangxi days after relaxation of lockdown

Violent clashes took place on Friday on a bridge that links China's Hubei province, which was at the centre of outbreak of deadly coronavirus, and the neighbouring Jiangxi province.

This comes days after authorities relaxed an epidemic lockdown, according to The Globe and Mail.

Local media reported that the clashes took place after Jiangxi authorities blocked entry to people from Hubei. The lockdown imposed in Hubei to combat the outbreak of coronavirus was lifted earlier this week from the areas outside Wuhan.

The media outlet, citing several videos posted on Chinese social media, reported that "police vehicles were overturned and police scuffled with each other amid large crowds of shouting people".

More than 80,000 people were infected by COVID19 in China while over 3000 lost their lives.

The videos that have emerged from the incident showed uniformed personnel blocking movement from Hubei province across the Yangtze River into Jiujiang, a city in Jiangxi province.

"It's dangerous for you to gather like this on the bridge," Ma Yangzhou, the secretary of the party committee in Huangmei County on the Hubei side was quoted as saying.

In its report, The Globe and Mail said deep distrust has taken root across China toward people from Hubei, fuelled by fear of COVID-19 as also scepticism of official reassurances that the epidemic has been successfully suppressed.

These come amid criticism of China in some quarters that it tried to cover up and suppressed information regarding the outbreak of the disease making its containment difficult.

People from Hubei, the province most severely affected by the coronavirus, have been refused entry to hotels and their homes. However, as the lockdown measures are being relaxed, people from the province are attempting to move elsewhere.

According to a worker at a toll booth on the bridge, the clashes took place between 3 pm and 6 pm.

Chinese state media called the clashes "regrettable".

"The people of Hubei have made great efforts and significant contributions to winning the battle against the epidemic," the state-owned People's Daily, in a brief commentary published on its Twitter-like Weibo account, said.

The Globe and Mail reported that according to official government policy those who live outside Wuhan and are considered healthy have been allowed to resume travel since Wednesday.

Authorities have also reopened railways and long-distance bus service and pledged to completely remove all highway roadblocks by Friday.

Worldwide, the virus has infected over half-a-million people and claimed over 20,000 lives.