Health

Wuhan Pool Parties Are Sign That City Is Recovering, According To Chinese Media

Chinese State Media Calls Outrage Over Viral Wuhan Pool Parties “Sour Grapes”

While Singaporeans are largely stuck at home and can’t have large gatherings, a Wuhan water park saw huge crowds exceeding 15,000 daily, resulting in concerns over safe distancing.

Source

However, on Thursday (Aug 19), Chinese media site Global Times struck back in an article, calling the scenes a reminder of the need for strict measures to deal with Covid-19.

Wuhan ended lockdown early

Wuhan was the first city where numerous cases of Covid-19 emerged early this year, leading to a province-wide lockdown.

The entirety of Hubei province then enforced strict measures in an effort to eradicate the virus there.

Under the city-wide lockdown, nobody was allowed to leave their houses. Wuhan resembled a ghost town during these months.

Source

On 8 Apr, Wuhan emerged from their lockdown while the rest of the world, including Singapore, started on their own ones.

The city has largely returned to normalcy after that, albeit with active testing, and with no new cases since May.

Wuhan water park and pool parties open since Jul

This includes the Wuhan Maya Beach Water Park, which reopened in late Jun, according to CNN.

 

It started getting around 15,000 visitors on weekends after that, and in a bid to get more to come, they are apparently offering 50% discounts.

Since 8 Aug, Hubei Province is also allowing free entry at several tourist attractions — for domestic visitors, that is.

Pictures of a concert pool party, where attendees stood side by side with no masks on, feel unreal in 2020.

Source

But they’re real, and this is in Wuhan.

Chinese news say scenes are a payback for fight

Covid-19 was called the Wuhan coronavirus when it first emerged. Everyone around the world is aware of this. But they’ve ended their lockdown and no new cases since May.

Yet other countries are seeing a resurgence in cases, fuelling worries that the same might happen.

However, the Global Times say that the city has gone back to normal and called concerns “sour grapes” by other countries.

One person was quoted as saying:

I guess it also rings a bell for some countries, which are still struggling to fight COVID-19, that without strict measures, the virus won’t be fended off. We fought hard, this is our payback.

The crowds are back now, and Wuhan is even a tourist destination for people from other cities.

Are strict measures necessary?

While Chinese media are at pains to point out that strict measures are required, nobody is quite sure as to whether the situation in China will last.

Singapore authorities, meanwhile, say that life can never return to normal any time. Whether the situation in China can be replicated elsewhere with no large outbreaks is anyone’s guess.

But one thing’s for certain, we’d like to be these people in Wuhan right now, without having to mask up and distance from others.

Featured image adapted from YouTube.

Jonathan Yee

Jonathan is a bedroom headbanger. His Kobo is never far from him.

Recent Posts

SingPost fires 3 senior executives citing gross negligence, CEO & CFO to contest termination

Earlier this year, three managers were found to have made manual updates on a customer’s…

23 Dec 2024, 12:14 pm

Passenger on US flight slammed for bringing Great Dane as ’emotional support’ dog

On the other hand, some said they'd prefer sitting next to a massive dog than…

23 Dec 2024, 10:12 am

Nearly 20 cats abandoned in Bedok flat filled with rubbish, some injured after jumping from windows

Some sustained injuries after jumping from windows, while others starved to death.

23 Dec 2024, 9:52 am

Continuous heavy traffic expected at S’pore-JB checkpoints till end of 2024: ICA

A record of more than 553,000 travellers crossed both checkpoints on 13 Dec.

22 Dec 2024, 7:25 pm

H5N1 poses ‘highest risk’ of becoming next pandemic, S’pore health authorities monitoring situation

There has been no year-end Covid-19 wave, as had been expected.

22 Dec 2024, 6:42 pm

Wagyu beef worth S$5,700 found in car entering JB from S’pore, M’sian driver arrested

The beef was imported without a veterinary health certificate and halal certification.

22 Dec 2024, 5:40 pm