The famous Badaling section of the Great Wall of China has partly opened on Tuesday, after being closed for almost two months due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The scenic area will be open between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., and the daily number of visitors will be capped at 19,500. As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, a total of 892 tickets had been reserved.
Visitors must book tickets on the official website or through WeChat in advance and register with their personal information to get a health code, while their temperatures will be taken upon entry.
A one-way circular tour route has been designed to prevent the gathering of crowds. The cableway, the China Great Wall Museum, the ancient Great Wall and some other sections remain closed.
The Badaling Great Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in Beijing’s Yanqing District, about 60 km northwest of the city center. It was the earliest section to open and is the most popular segment of the Great Wall among tourists. The scenic area received more than 9.9 million visitors in 2018.
Beijing zoo reopens after 59 days
Beijing Zoo reopened on Monday after being closed since Jan 24 as part of efforts to control the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak.
The 5,000 animals have been fed well, are housed in sanitized areas and are enjoying the spring sunshine.
Zhang Chenglin, the zoo’s deputy director, said, “Some of the animals, such as the pandas, preferred to have more exercise when the zoo was empty.”
Veterinarians checked the animals’ health. A pregnant Malayan tapir received the most attention, with regular ultrasound examinations.
Ma Tao, who looks after pandas at the zoo, starts his working day at 7 am by taking a fixed route on a delivery truck to feed the animals in their enclosure.
Workers such as Ma help prepare 2,000 kilograms of food for animals at the zoo every day, including chopped carrots, fresh cucumbers and raw meat.
“My happiest time of the day is to see the animals eating, even if sometimes they take a bite out of my arm,” Ma, who is in his 40s, said jokingly. He added that it usually takes about three hours to distribute food to all the animals.
