Shanghai doctor talks progress against outbreak in during Swan Lake rehearsal

Shanghai Grand Theater will present its first open show on Thursday night after the COVID-19 breakout, presenting the Shanghai Ballet's production of Swan Lake.

Zhang Wenhong, director of the Infectious Disease Department at Huashan Hospital in Shanghai, attended dress rehearsal on Wednesday night, when he spoke about containment of COVID-19 while getting life back to normal.

"The performance shows that we are one step further toward getting normal life back," Zhang told the media after the rehearsal. "But then we have noticed some recurrence of the pandemic in other parts of China."

He went on to assure the public that disease control departments have been working non-stop to guard public safety. "We are working more actively as people gradually resume normal life." He went on to call on the public to keep up with the good hygiene habits and stay vigilant about the virus. "I strongly recommend people should wear a mask and have their hands washed often," he said. "Crowded venues should have good ventilation too."

Shanghai Grand Theater requires presentation of a health QR code for anyone entering the theater, and only one-third of the 1,748 seats were made available for sale to ensure sufficient space between each person.

The ballet will be performed on Thursday and Friday evenings. All tickets were sold out days ahead of the show.

Shanghai Ballet's Swan Lake was directed by British choreographer Derek Deane and premiered in 2015. It features a large ensemble of 48 swans and made a successful US tour with performances at Lincoln Center in New York in January.