China’s tourist sites crowded with visitors after lockdown lifts

Tourists came together during China’s holiday weekend despite warnings issued by health officials.

Many people showed up to Huangshan Mountain Park during the Qingming Festival, also called Tomb-Sweeping Day. Photos of the event were posted to social media that showed thousands of people packed into the site's entryway.

Officials said the park was at full capacity by 7:48 a.m. The park lets in up to 20,000 people per day.

The Global Times reported that a two-week tourism promotion involving 31 scenic locations has started in Anhui province. The locations can be visited for free from April 1 to 14.

Many people also showed up to Shanghai’s Bund waterfront district after it was fairly empty for weeks during the lockdown.

Chief epidemiologist with the Chinese Center for Disease Control said, “China is not near the end, but has entered a new stage.”

“With the global epidemic raging, China has not reached the end,” he said when speaking with Health Times on Thursday.

China has recently been reporting less new cases of the virus daily. The country reported just 39 new cases on Monday.

In a statement on Sunday, the National Health Commission said 25 of the new cases included people who recently arrived from abroad.

Yuen Kwok-yung, a Hong Kong epidemiologist said that China seems to be prematurely reducing its restrictions.

“So in Hong Kong, we might have a third wave of cases coming from the mainland after a second wave … The epidemic is still serious in the society,” he said.

“At this stage, it is still not optimistic. What worries me the most is inadequate testing on patients with mild symptoms, which prevents us from cutting off the chain of transmission.”