Image by People's Daily/Global Times

Chinese state-owned newspaper People's Daily has uploaded a video of disinfection work in the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has spread across the globe.

The clip is apocalyptic: workers roll giant machines down empty streets, blasting huge plumes of disinfecting spray. Lines of trucks move down large boulevards, filling the air with ominous white mist.

A different video by state-owned newspaper Global Times shows similar activity, including a modified rickshaw sporting a sanitizer cannon mounted to its back.

It's still unclear what exactly the authorities are spraying in Wuhan. A report by Business Insider suggests the material could be a low concentration bleach-and-water solution.

The news comes after China placed a number of cities, affecting around 50 million residents, under quarantine to prevent the deadly coronavirus from spreading. At press time, at least 910 people have died from the virus, with more than 40,000 confirmed cases across the globe, according to John Hopkins' coronavirus dashboard.

The city wide sterilization campaign is meant to stop the airborne coronavirus from spreading. But some experts have argued that wiping surfaces at hospitals and markets is a more worthwhile approach, according to Business Insider.