But fleets of trucks have been bringing food to the city under orders from the government, which has vowed not to let prices increase. Drivers' temperatures are checked and their trucks are sprayed with disinfectant.

Some are unsure if they will be paid, but said they volunteered to help the city anyway.

Driver Ma Chenglong said he volunteered straight away.

"When the country is in trouble, we common people have a duty," The New York Times reported.

Here's what a line of trucks looked like in January:

This video shows two key things about #nCoV2019 lockdown of #Wuhan :
- no vehicles are leaving the city (empty right lanes)
- huge congestion inbound, bringing supplies & food to the city.
China is the only nation on earth that can mobilize on this scale. https://t.co/S3yebY0yqJ

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) January 24, 2020