China greenlights reopening of entertainment venues nationwide by Staff Writers Beijing (AFP) May 8, 2020 China's top decision-making body has given the green light for cinemas, entertainment venues and sports facilities nationwide to reopen after several months of closures. The State Council guidelines issued Friday allow indoor cultural and entertainment venues, outdoor leisure facilities, and tourist attractions to be opened with limited visitor numbers, but did not give a specific timeframe. Cultural venues can also hold "necessary conferences and exhibitions", while hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and supermarkets can be fully opened, the instructions said. Reopened venues must require visitors to wear masks and adhere to social distancing. All of China's 70,000 cinemas have been shut since late January to prevent the spread of the virus, which has dealt a crippling blow to China's film and entertainment industry. But in recent weeks, major tourist attractions such as the Forbidden City in Beijing have gradually started to reopen with limited admission, as China tries to boost domestic spending after the virus battered its economy. Shanghai Disneyland announced Thursday that it would reopen next week, as tickets sold out in minutes. While much of the rest of the world is still enforcing confinement measures, China has also been resuming work, reopening schools and lifting restrictions on movement after the pandemic was largely put under control. All Chinese counties are now classified as "low-risk", as the mainland reported no new domestic cases for the past five days. It is not clear how or when the State Council guidelines will be implemented locally across China. Beijing officials announced Wednesday that cinemas, entertainment venues, and sport facilities would remain closed for the time being. Some local governments allowed cinemas and entertainment venues to reopen in late March before they were promptly ordered to close again.
US delays Hong Kong report that could upset China Washington (AFP) May 6, 2020 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday postponed a report on whether China is respecting the autonomy of restive Hong Kong as required under a new law that infuriated Beijing. Pompeo, who did not announce a new date, said the delay was due to China's plans to convene its top legislature on May 22 - a time when Beijing is especially sensitive about preventing dissent. "We're delaying our report to Congress that will assess Hong Kong's autonomy to allow us to account for any additional actio ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |