Chinese Authorities Have Locked Down the Great Wall of China and Beijing’s Forbidden City to Limit the Spread of Coronavirus

Chinese authorities have shut
down the most popular section of the Great Wall as well as other
popular cultural tourist sites in an effort to prevent the spread
of a deadly virus that has broken out across the country and
threatens to spread around the globe. 

The flu-like coronavirus has
already killed 81 people in China and fears are growing that it
could expand rapidly during the country’s popular Lunar New Year
festivities. More than 2,700 cases have been confirmed in China,
and reports of the infection have been made in more than 10 other
countries, including the US, where five people have been diagnosed
with the virus.

In a bid to limit its spread,
authorities announced on Friday that the Badaling section of the
Great Wall of China, which is around 40 miles from Beijing, would
temporarily close beginning Saturday, January 25, local news
outlet CNA reports. The Great Wall receives around 10
million visitors a year. 

Beijing’s most popular
attraction, the Forbidden City, which received 19 million visitors
last year, has also been shuttered, along with important temples
including the Ming Tombs and Yinshan Pagoda. Officials have not
said when the cultural sites, including the Great Wall, will
reopen.

Meanwhile, authorities have
announced that the city’s Bird’s Nest stadium, designed by the
dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei for the 2008 Olympic Games, will
shutter until at least January 30.

The mysterious virus has broken
out during China’s biggest holiday season, when hundreds of
millions travel to see family and gather in large crowds. Officials
in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong have cancelled their plans for
public celebrations of the Lunar New Year. The holiday period has
also been extended until February 2 across China and to February 9
in Shanghai, according to the Guardian, in an effort to deter
citizens from traveling. 

Because the virus can spread
through coughing and sneezing—although it remains unclear exactly
how easily it can be transmitted—authorities are discouraging
residents and tourists from attending large gatherings or popular
tourist destinations, including China’s 55 UNESCO World Heritage
sites.

The respiratory virus first
broke out between December 12 and 29 at a live animal market in
Wuhan, the capital of China’s Hubei Province and home to 11 million
people. Authorities have since placed a lockdown on Wuhan and
surrounding cities in Hubei Province, banning travel in and out,
which affects some 35 million people.

The post Chinese Authorities Have Locked Down the Great Wall
of China and Beijing’s Forbidden City to Limit the Spread of
Coronavirus appeared first on artnet News.