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Visitors wearing face masks to protect themselves against the new coronavirus walk through the Forbidden City in Beijing on Friday, May 1, 2020. (AP Photo / Mark Schiefelbein)
China’s top decision-making body has given the green light to cinemas, entertainment venues and sports facilities across the country to reopen after several months of closings.
State Council guidelines issued on Friday allow indoor cultural and entertainment venues, outdoor leisure facilities, and tourist attractions to open with a limited number of visitors, but did not give a specific deadline.
Cultural venues can also hold “necessary conferences and exhibitions,” while hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, and supermarkets can be fully opened as instructed.
Reopened locations should require visitors to wear masks and adhere to social distancing.
All of China’s 70,000 cinemas have been closed since late January to prevent the spread of the virus, which has dealt a severe blow to China’s entertainment and film industry.
But in recent weeks, major tourist attractions, like Beijing’s Forbidden City, have gradually reopened with limited admission, as China tries to boost domestic spending after the virus hit its economy.
Shanghai Disneyland announced on Thursday that it would reopen next week, as tickets sold out in minutes.
While much of the rest of the world is still applying confinement measures, China has also resumed work, reopening schools and lifting restrictions on movements after the pandemic came under control.
All Chinese counties are now classified as “low risk” as the mainland did not report new domestic cases in the past five days.
It is unclear how or when the State Council guidelines will be implemented locally in China.
Beijing officials announced Wednesday that cinemas, entertainment venues and sports facilities would be closed for now.
Some local governments allowed cinemas and entertainment venues to reopen in late March before being ordered to close again immediately.
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