Beijing strives to ensure happy stay-put holiday

The Beijing municipal government has introduced various measures to help residents who plan to stay in the city for the upcoming Spring Festival instead of returning to their hometowns have a warm and joyful holiday.

In order to reduce the COVID-19 infection risk posed by travel to other cities during the festival, the city government has encouraged residents to remain in Beijing, though they can still venture out if they wish.

Concerned with the pandemic control and prevention challenges brought on by both the increasing number of locally transmitted cases over the past two weeks and the coming Winter Olympic Games, most residents have agreed with the government's suggestion and have decided to stay put for the festival, which is usually a time for family reunions. People in some professions, including food delivery and community service, will continue to work during the holiday.

According to Beijing's postal administration, around 36,000 delivery staff will stay at work during the break, accounting for more than 60 percent of the delivery workers in the city.

Ma Jingyong, a deliveryman in Beijing's Fengtai district, said the number of packages during Spring Festival will be greater than usual.

"Because of that and the epidemic control challenges, I plan to stay in Beijing for the festival," he said. "I thought it would be a bit lonely to spend the festival by myself. However, I participated in an activity organized by the community last week, and I really enjoyed myself. I believe that the coming festival will also be a great one, too!"

During the activity, community workers invited 300 residents to write Spring Festival couplets and make dumplings together. All the residents were given a Spring Festival gift bag containing movie tickets, a thermos and red paper-cutting art to decorate windows.

In Beijing's Dongcheng district, a community activity was held on Tuesday to celebrate the coming festival. Cultural and art professionals performed for residents at the event, and well-known calligraphers were invited to write Spring Festival couplets for residents.

In addition, to create a festive atmosphere without too many gatherings, many communities are organizing online activities for residents. Some are planning book reading and discussion activities during the festival via the WeChat social messaging platform. Other online activities involving sports, the Winter Olympic Games or making New Year's wishes in groups will also be held.