Popular Chinese tourist sites were packed with people over the country’s holiday weekend even though health officials warned that the risk of the spread of coronavirus is not over.
After being shuttered for weeks, people took advantage of the government’s relaxation of lockdown regulations during the three-day Qingming Festival holiday that began on Saturday.
Pictures of popular destinations like the Huangshan mountain park in the Anhui province showed throngs of people wearing face masks crowded together.
Before 8 a.m.. on Saturday, authorities announced the park reached its daily capacity of 20,000 people and would not accept any more visitors, according to state media Global Times.
According to the Global Times, the park waived its entrance fee, equivalent to $26.70, to promote tourism. The free entrance policy is part of a two-week tourism promotion activity in the Anhui Province where residents can visit 31 scenic spots in Huangshan city without any entrance fee.
Similarly in Shanghai, the Bund waterfront was bustling with shoppers and tourists. Several restaurants even required reservations to enter. City parks and open spaces in Beijing were filled with people.
As the rate of infection has slowed, the government started opening places back up to the public. But Chinese health experts urge the public to continue to practice caution.
Chinese government officials have tentatively begun efforts to restart certain industries like manufacturing and service to help bolster the economy.
But in recent weeks there have been signs that the government is wary of opening up too quickly and sparking a new wave of infections. Plans to re-open movie theaters in late March were scrapped and tourist attractions in Shanghai were opened for 10 days before they were shut down again on March 31, according to CNN.
According to the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, Huangshan has since announced it will stop receiving tourists.
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