Beijing closes Universal Resort, Wuhan locks district in COVID curbs
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BEIJING, Oct 26 (Reuters) – The Universal Beijing Resort amusement park closed on Wednesday for COVID-19 prevention measures and the cities of Wuhan and Guangzhou locked down some districts, as cases rise in China despite its policy strict antivirus.
The theme park did not say when it would reopen but said it would refund or reschedule tickets.
“We will continue to assess the impact on operations and strive to resume operations as soon as possible,” he said on social media platform Weibo.
The theme park is 30% owned by Comcast Corp’s (CMCSA.O) Universal Parks & Resorts and 70% by the state-owned Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment.
Beijing, which has some of China’s toughest COVID barriers to entry, saw infections spike after the national Golden Week holiday earlier this month.
For Oct. 25, the city reported 19 symptomatic cases and one asymptomatic infection, while the country as a whole reported a total of 1,407 new cases, the highest number in 12 days.
Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus emerged nearly three years ago to bring disease and disruption to the world, shut down its Hanyang district after a spike in cases.
From Oct. 26 to Oct. 30, more than 800,000 people in the district were asked to stay at home as services were limited in all areas, authorities said in a notice.
Union Hospital in Wuhan suspended outpatient services after a staff member at a canteen tested positive, the hospital said in a statement. Universities in Wuhan have also returned to online education.
“It’s already the third year and things are still like this,” Wuhan resident Joy Dai, who works in the tourism industry, told Reuters.
“It affects me both mentally and physically…but I’m powerless over it all, so I’ve learned to accept it.”
Guangzhou City, which reported 27 new local symptomatic coronavirus cases and 46 asymptomatic cases on Tuesday, classified five more of its counties as high-risk: Huangpu, Nansha, Panyu, Yuexiu and Conghua.
The southern metropolis and manufacturing hub had already halted daily social activities and called for mass testing in Haizhu and Baiyun counties.
China’s economic growth hit a speed bump in the fourth quarter as COVID curbs limited travel and shipments, limiting consumption and trade in the world’s second-largest economy. Read more
Beijing newsroom reporting; Writing Liz Lee and Bernard Orr; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Stephen Coates
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