BEIJING: Thousands of partygoers packed a water park over the weekend in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus first appeared late last year, wanting to have fun as the city returns to normal life.
The popular Wuhan Maya Beach water park was packed with people frolicking in swimsuits and glasses for an electronic music festival, many perched on rubber boats or wading up to their chests in the water.
The water park reopened in June after Wuhan gradually opened after a 76-day lockdown and strict restrictions to try to control the spread of the virus.
The park, which according to local media has limited attendance to 50 percent of its normal capacity, offers half-price discounts for female visitors.
An artist at a stage show in front of the water greeted the crowd, huddled together and waving their arms back, some snapping photos on phones protected in plastic bags around their necks.
Another artist on a waterjet table entertained his audience by floating above them with sparks coming from his back.
Some of the attendees had donned life jackets, but none of the partygoers were seen wearing tight-fitting face masks as a DJ in bright yellow headphones played on stage.
The first known cases of COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan late last year, a city of 11 million people, before the virus spread across the world, killing hundreds of thousands and crippling economies.
The blockade was lifted in April, and no new cases of national transmission have been officially reported in Hubei province, where Wuhan is the capital, since mid-May.
To try to boost the local economy, the Hubei government has been offering free admission to 400 tourist sites across the province.
China has largely controlled its domestic epidemic, but sporadic outbreaks and a severe summer flooding have exacerbated the economic consequences.
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