Shanghai's cultural, tourism and sports venues to reopen from July

Local tourist attractions, museums and galleries, cinemas and theaters, public libraries and cultural venues will gradually reopen from next month, the city's culture and tourism administration said on Wednesday.

The Shanghai Sports Bureau also announced on the same day that local outdoor sports venues and indoor facilities that meet certain COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control standards can reopen from Friday.

According to Fang Shizhong, director of the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism, local culture and tourism industries will strictly resume their services in an orderly manner and deal with uncertainties from the external environment.

After Shanghai Disney Resort reopens on Thursday, local museums, galleries and all A-level tourist destinations will gradually resume operation from Friday. Cinemas and theaters will join them from July 8.

Public libraries and cultural venues, such as community cultural centers, as well as tourist information service centers, will gradually resume services in accordance with local pandemic prevention and control requirements.

The administration has issued a guideline on pandemic prevention and control for the eight types of cultural and tourism venues which are likely to reopen.

These venues have been told to undertake comprehensive disinfection and enhance their daily cleaning and sterilization as well as ensure their staff's self-health management. Measures like encouraging visitors to come in staggered times, allowing them to make appointment and controlling the visitor numbers should be implemented.

Venues that want to reopen should register, get their own "venue code" and set up digital sentry before opening. If the areas where the venues are located are listed as medium- or high-risk, they must suspend operation at once.

Residents who want to visit these venues should have a green health code and negative nucleic acid test result within 72 hours. Those without smart phones can apply for an offline health code in advance and carry their identity card.

People who have been to domestic medium- or high-risk areas within seven days or travelled abroad within ten days are not allowed to enter these venues.

If someone has a fever or feels uncomfortable after entry, or receives a call from disease control authorities about abnormal nucleic acid test result, he or she should report to staff immediately.

So far 67 of the city's 134 A-level tourist attractions have reopened.

Meanwhile, the sports bureau's notification allows outdoor sports venues to reopen in an orderly manner under pandemic prevention and control requirements.

Indoor sports venues with good ventilation in subdistricts or towns with no medium-risk area and no COVID-19 infection for a week can also reopen after registration.

However, underground venues or those within confined space will remain close.

Similar to cultural and tourism sites, sports venues are also required to get a "venue code" and set up digital sentry at the entrance with visitors having to show a negative nucleic acid test result within 72 hours.

Elderly people or other groups who are unable to use smart phones can prepare the offline health code or nucleic acid test documents.

A pandemic prevention and control working team should be established at sports venues.

Management should also strengthen employees' health management and pandemic prevention and control training while disinfecting the venue and controlling the number of visitors.

If the area where the sports venue is located becomes a medium- or high-risk site, then the venue should take measures like further controlling visitor number, shortening business hours and suspending operation.