TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Shanghai skyscrapers' viewing platforms re-open as virus eases

  (Agence France-Presse)
Shanghai, China
Thu, March 12, 2020

Share This Article

Change Size

Shanghai skyscrapers' viewing platforms re-open as virus eases A young woman takes pictures of the city with her mobile phone, from the glass-floor observation platform, in the Oriental Pearl Tower, in the financial district of Shanghai, on May 9, 2019. (AFP/Hector Retamal)

H

igh-profile fixtures of Shanghai's skyline began to re-open Thursday on a limited basis in a sign of confidence that the coronavirus was being tamed in the Chinese financial center.

The 632-meter Shanghai Tower -- the world's second-tallest building -- and the futuristic Oriental Pearl Tower Radio and Television Tower were among skyscrapers to announce viewing platforms and other public areas had opened again, subject to various restrictions.

The Shanghai Museum said it was re-opening on Friday but would cap daily visitors at 2,000.

Chinese media reports said a number of other tourist sites also were gradually opening their doors again.

Shanghai, along with the rest of the country, had shut down virtually all public gathering places for weeks as China imposed sweeping restrictions to halt the spread of the virus.

But new infections have fallen sharply in China in recent weeks, dropping to nil in Shanghai aside from scattered cases of infected travelers arriving in the city from hard-hit Italy.

As the rest of the world reels, China's government has sought to trumpet its containment success, with President Xi Jinping saying on Tuesday during a visit to the epicenter city of Wuhan that the epidemic had been "basically curbed" there.

Shanghai Disney on Monday reopened its shopping and entertainment Disneytown zone, plus a park and hotel in the same complex, in the "first step of a phased reopening".

The main Disneyland theme park, however, remains closed for now.

Shanghai's normally bustling streets resembled a ghost town for weeks at the height of the shutdowns. The city remains subdued but road and pedestrian traffic have steadily increased in recent days.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.