Urumqi lifts more COVID-19 restrictions

The Grand Bazaar pedestrian street in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and skiing resorts will open from Sunday as the city's COVID-19 outbreak has been further contained, local government said.

Business outlets, including shopping malls, supermarkets, restaurants and hotels, across the city, as well as entertainment venues, such as cinemas, gyms and parks, will also gradually open, officials told a news conference on Sunday.

Based on the current epidemic situation, however, residents will not be permitted to eat in restaurants or hotels, and the flow of consumers in leisure places, including libraries, museums, cinemas, swimming center and gyms, will also be limited, it added.

On Nov 26, the government announced that it has "basically cleared" COVID-19 cases at the community level and began to reopen businesses and resume public transportation services.

Last week, buses and taxis were allowed to travel freely citywide, with recovery of local logistics, small, medium and micro-sized enterprises and private business.