Wang Jingli wangjingli0715@163.com THE city has strengthened epidemic prevention measures in public parks for the extended Spring Festival holiday amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus to ensure residents’ safety. More stringent disinfection is now in place in key areas of public parks including at toilets, public squares and tourist service centers, with an average area of 130,000 square meters sterilized each day, according to the municipal park management center. Health and safety tips have also been posted at the entry and exit points of parks to promote epidemic prevention and control knowledge. Residents are now required to wear face masks when visiting. Shenzhen immediately canceled its annual Chinese rose show, and facilities in Children’s Park and Litchi Park have also been closed since Guangdong Province activated a Level-I public health emergency response to contain the virus outbreak. At present, most residents are duly wearing face masks when visiting parks. Parks’ visitor flow have dropped by 70 to 80 percent compared to previously, said the park management authority. Forty-four workout areas, two boating areas and all outsourced soccer pitches as well as tennis courts in parks across the city have been temporality closed to discourage gatherings. A total of 12,424 staff have been allocated to supervise the visitor flow to parks and to discourage people not wearing face masks from entering. Signs are posted at the Shenzhen Bay Park to remind people to keep park visits short and to forbid touching wild animals. |