Published 13:51 IST, March 24th 2020
China reopens section of Great Wall for tourists as normalcy returns after COVID-19
As the coronavirus outbreak showed signs of easing in China, a small section of the Great Wall of China has reopened to visitors, according to a statement.
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As the coronavirus outbreak showed signs of easing in China, a small section of the Great Wall of China has reopened to visitors. According to international media reports, the Badaling section of the Wall will be open daily from 9am to 4pm. However, according to a statement by the Chinese officials, the authorities will only permit 30 per cent of the usual number of visitors into the area for the time being.
The Great Wall is the most popular monument for tourists, however, for the time being, the entry will only be permitted if the visitors first book a ticket in advance, either in the Badaling Great Wall’s official website or through China’s WeChat app. As per reports, upon arriving, the visitors will also have their temperature checked. They also must have a registered Health QR code, which is a system through the AliPay or WeChat app that connected to their ID card. The QR code should show green or healthy before being permitted entry.
Furthermore, visitors also must wear face masks and stay at least one meter away from each other at all times. As per reports, all the other sections of the Great Wall will remain closed and so will the cable car and the Great Wall Museum in Badaling. The heritage site was closed to visitors on January 25 along with other major sites, which still remain closed, including the Forbidden City complex in Beijing and Shanghai Disneyland.
Nipped and stopped
Meanwhile, checkpoints and barriers preventing the movement of people have been there since January and people in the city set off fireworks after they were removed after weeks of quarantine and lockdown. With the virus and its impact receding, the country is looking to restart its economy in the areas that it has deemed as ‘low risk of infection’. Schools in Wuhan are being reopened so are supermarkets and convenience stores. In the eastern city of Hangzhou, cinemas, libraries and museums are set to re-open and the measuring of people’s temperature at hotels, subway stations and office buildings will stop.
China has been relaxing social distancing measures as the cases of virus slows there. As per reports, earlier in the week, Wuhan reported no new cases of the coronavirus for the first time since the outbreak began. According to the World Health Organization representative in China, Dr Gauden Galea, the coronavirus is an epidemic that has been nipped as it was growing and stopped in its track. He reportedly added that his statement is supported by the data they have as well as observations made in society.
14:01 IST, March 24th 2020