Thousands of tourists have descended upon China’s Great Wall during the country’s national Golden Week holiday despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that began in the country, CNN reports.
Although the coronavirus first emerged in China, case numbers have remained close to zero since the spring, with only a few outbreaks cropping up, and those were quickly met with lockdown orders and mass testing, allowing them to be contained in a matter of weeks.
The Great Wall’s most popular section reopened last March at 30% capacity, which has since been raised to 75% for the holiday week. Although the government has imposed restrictions on visitors to the wall, it remains a popular tourist attraction, and neither of the restrictions requiring people to wear masks or stay one meter apart appear to be widely followed.
"I think China has (the virus) under pretty good control," 29-year-old Guangzhou native Chen Qianmei, who recently traveled to Shanghai for the holiday, told CNN. "I'm wearing masks and bringing alcohol wipes with me to clean my hands, especially before eating -- although in Shanghai, few people wear masks now."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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