Beijing, March 29: More Chinese tourist sites reopened on Sunday after remaining closed for almost two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in the city of Wuhan last December. The city of Qufu in Shandong province, also known as the hometown of Confucius, opened its signature tourist attractions including the Cemetery of Confucius, the Confucius Temple and the Kong family mansion, reports Xinhua news agency. Over 100 tourists visited the sites on Sunday.
The southwestern municipality of Chongqing has also reopened its well-known river tours. The boats, which ride along the Yangtze River and Jialing River in the city, will only operate at half capacity. Tourists are required to wear face masks and receive temperature checks upon entering tourist sites. On March 24, the famous Badaling section of the Great Wall of China partly opened to tourists. 'Chinese Health Authorities Confirm Patient Zero Had Sex With Bats'; Fake News Goes Viral, Here's The Fact Check.
The scenic area will remain open between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., and the daily number of visitors will be capped at 19,500. The cableway, the China Great Wall Museum, the ancient Great Wall and some other sections still remain closed. The Badaling section is located in Beijing's Yanqing district, about 60 km northwest of the city centre. It was one of the first sections to open to the public and also the most popular segment of the Unesco World Heritage among tourists.
The opening of the tourist sites comes as China has witnessed a decrease in coronavirus deaths and confirmed cases. As of Sunday, the country reported 82,057 cases, while the death toll stood at 3,304. In terms of the highest number of cases globally, the US tops the list with 124,686, while Italy recorded the most number of deaths at 10,023, according to the latest data from the Washington-based Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 29, 2020 02:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).