London Zoo to reopen after COVID-19 lockdown ends in England

London Zoo, one of the British capital's top visitor attractions, is set to re-open when England ends its second national COVID-19 lockdown on December 2, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which runs the zoo, has announced.

With 36 acres (0.15 square km) of nature and wildlife to explore, plus stringent COVID-safety measures in place, the zoo will become a festive wonderland from December 2 to January 3 next year, no matter which COVID-19 tier London is placed in, said the ZSL.

"We know that Christmas is an important time for many of our visitors, and when we reopen our gates it will be to an outdoor wonderland of nature and wildlife," said Kathryn England, chief operating officer at London Zoo.

England is currently under a month-long national lockdown. According to British Health Secretary Matt Hancock, most of England will face harsh coronavirus restrictions in a new three-tier system when the lockdown ends next week, with London being listed in Tier Two.

Another 16,022 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 1,589,301, according to official figures released Friday.

The coronavirus-related deaths in Britain rose by 521 to 57,551, the data showed.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.