China's panda base reopens to public

CHENGDU -- A top destination for the world's panda lovers on Wednesday reopened to the public in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, located in the provincial capital Chengdu, reopened all its facilities except a panda-themed theater.

The base was closed on Jan. 24, the first day of this year's Spring Festival holiday that would otherwise be a peak tourist season for the park, due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

The reopening followed the province's decision to further downgrade its COVID-19 response from level II to level III on Wednesday. China has a four-tier public health emergency response system, with level I being the highest.

Certain epidemic precautions remain in place. The base said it would cap the daily number of visitors at 5,000 and require visitors to show health certificates. Those with a fever will be denied entrance.

The base is also advocating the use of online platforms and QR codes for booking and buying tickets, a practice that it said will reduce unnecessary contacts.