The last 5A tourist attraction in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province opened for tourists on Wednesday, after being closed for nearly 100 days as the city was being ravaged by the novel coronavirus pneumonia, with many tourists hailing it as a strong sign that the city has been reborn after the devastation caused by the disease.
Huanghelou, also known as the Yellow Crane Tower, is a city landmark which reopened on Wednesday with a maximum visitor capacity of 5,400, Global Times learned.
A small ceremony was held on Wednesday morning, inviting invited 12 representatives from medical staff, volunteer groups, police and residential community committees, who had made great contributions to helping the city battle COVID-19.
Representatives rang the tower's bell nine times, expressing their wishes for the deceased to rest in peace and for survivors to live healthy and prosperous lives.
After being closed for 98 days, staff members told the Global Times that ticket prices to the Yellow Crane Tower park would be sold at a reduced rate of 60 yuan ($8.47) per person.
"Today I came here to witness this historic moment," said Zhang, a person in his 70s, who was one of the first to visit the just reopened tourist spot. He told the Global Times that it has been 38 years since he first visited this place.
There have been so many historic moments in Wuhan lately, such as the lifting of the lockdown and the number of hospitalized patients reduced to zero, according to Zhang. "The city has been reborn amid coronavirus."
Before guests are allowed to enter the park, they were asked to scan their health QR codes at the main entrance and have their temperatures read. Visitors will be required to wear face masks before entering and must behave in an orderly manner. Visitors have also been asked to avoid gathering and to maintain a one-meter minimum distance from one another.
Wuhan is home to 12 5A tourist attractions, and Huanghelou was the last to announce a resumption of operations. Currently, 266 out of 421 attractions in Hubei Province have reopened to the public.
