Zhangjiajie reopening to tourists after new cases

Yao Hua from Shenzhen, Guangdong province, entered the main gate to Tianmen Mountain at 8 am on Friday, becoming the first tourist after the reopening of scenic spots in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province.

Staff members of the scenic spot checked her code for a ticket reservation and health codes, and reminded her to keep her mask on at all times during the visit.

Yao had been stranded in Zhangjiajie for a month because of the resurgence of COVID-19.

"Zhangjiajie is home to the Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I must have a look."

Starting from Friday, three scenic spots in Zhangjiajie－the core scenic spots of Wulingyuan, Tianmen Mountain and the Grand Canyon－reopened to the public after a resurgence of COVID-19 had been subdued.

The renowned tourist city is offering half-price discounts until Sept 30 to tourists for all of its A-level scenic spots and transportation services in the area. It's a way of thanking all sectors of society for supporting the city's contagion prevention and control work, said local authorities.

The city closed all its tourist sites on July 30 after reporting one confirmed locally transmitted case of COVID-19 the day before. The measures and other restrictions swiftly curbed the spread of the virus. It has not reported a confirmed infection since Aug 16.

Ding Yunjuan, marketing vice-manager of Tianmen Mountain, said the scenic spot has made full preparations for the reopening. "We invited professional workers to thoroughly disinfect public areas on Thursday. All of our staff members have been vaccinated," Ding said.

The reopening of all scenic spots in the city is expected to be completed in early September.

On Wednesday, Zhangjiajie lifted traffic restrictions.

The city is also offering subsidies for flight tickets and is carrying out various promotional activities to jump-start its tourism market. According to local media reports, the city's airport remains closed, but tickets will be available for flights from the city on Monday.

The Chinese mainland on Thursday reported two new locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, one each in Shanghai and Jiangsu province, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Friday.

In Shanghai, a 47-year-old male who handles cargo flights for a foreign airline at Pudong International Airport is the latest confirmed COVID-19 case in the city, authorities announced on Friday.

The man, a close contact of a previous case, was put under quarantine on Aug 20. This is the seventh confirmed case in the latest wave of infections related to the airport, according to Wu Jinglei, director of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission.

"Shanghai will improve emergency response capabilities, increase investigation efficiency and optimize prevention and control measures," Wu said.

Cao Chen and Zhu Youfang contributed to this story.