Beijing malls shorten business hours to curb virus spread

Several malls in Beijing have shortened business hours in an effort to curb the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Livat, a multi-function business center in the southern part of the capital city that contains restaurants, shops and movie theater, has shortened its business hours to close at 6:00pm, from 10:00pm.

All staff of Livat will wear masks at work, and the management team of the mall strongly suggests customers wear masks when visiting the mall, according to the statement issued by Livat on Monday.

Grand Pacific in downtown Xidan area adjusted its business hour to 11:00am to 6:00pm.

Most malls are normally open from 10:00am to 10:00pm in Beijing.

Beijing has taken several measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, including postponing the beginning of the 2020 spring semester and suspending inter-provincial bus services.

A total of 72 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) have been reported in Beijing as of 9:00am Monday. A total of 2,744 confirmed cases were reported across the country so far, with 80 deaths.