While healthcare systems around the world buckle under the pressure of the coronavirus pandemic, Wuhan, which emerged as ground zero for the pandemic, in a very non-2020 fashion is busy raving, hosting beer festivals and pool parties. Hordes of beer lovers flouted social distancing rules as they flocked to Wuhan for a week-long beer festival, which kicked off last week, amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to a report in The Guardian, quite a few revellers were spotted hanging out by the bar, sipping on beer, and quite a few without masks. CGTN reported that visitors are given temperature and security checks on arrival. Only last week, the city was in the news for hosting a huge rave party in a water park.
Thousands of #Wuhan drinkers flaunt social distancing rules as they enjoy a week-long #beer #festival days after packed rave at a water park sparked international controversy pic.twitter.com/fB9zzcCX33
— Hans Solo (@thandojo) August 22, 2020
On the weekend of August 15, the former epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic saw thousands of revellers, maskless and huddled close to each, unleash their inner party animals as they danced and splashed about during the HOHA Water Electrical Musical Festival at the Wuhan Maya Beach Water Park. Thousands of people were packed in the open-air park as they sang along in their swimsuits and played around with rubber floaties, and like Covid-19 which emerged in the city last year, the photos from the event too, have gone viral.
Wuhan, the city of 11 million people in China’s Hubei province, has been coronavirus free since mid-May after a very strict lockdown was imposed on the city for 76-days. On January 23, a city-wide lockdown was imposed on Wuhan to contain the spread of the coronavirus with strict curfews, prohibitions and restrictions in place.The measures worked until mid-May, but six new coronavirus cases were recorded in the city on May 12, and soon the restrictions were back in place. The city managed to control the virus once again by June. Most parts of China returned back to normal life by July with cinemas, parks, museums being allowed to function at half capacity, and larger gatherings being allowed in other places. However, many have contested whether China’s reportage regarding the number of active cases and deaths due to the virus are, if at all, accurate. CNN conducted an analysis of data from China’s National Health Commission and Hubei Provincial Health Commission, and found that the (number of) infections in Wuhan were responsible for 60% of more than 84 thousand total confirmed cases over China.
According to reports in Hubei Daily, the Wuhan Maya Beach Water Park resumed operations in late June, but the manager was quoted as having said that visitors had only increased in August. The water park sees around 15,00 daily visitors, almost half of what it was this time last year, according to the daily.
Wuhan’s massive pool party surprised quite a few social media users on Chinese social media, and Twitter and Facebook too. Some were quite surprised that such a huge event was permitted to take place, while others speculated that China possibly already had a coronavirus vaccine, and some mocked the conspiracy theorists.
Either they’ve found the cure and are celebrating it or it was just all a hoax and they just scared us all into going into lockdown for nothing. Somehow can’t help myself from thinking the latter sounds not too far fetched :/
— Helter Skelter (@Guillian_Barre) August 17, 2020
“Wuhan mustve created a virus then a cure!! How else would they be able to have a massive pool party rave?!?”
– people from countries who ignored social distancing and whined about masks
— Stewart McConnell (@PinguBreakdown) August 19, 2020
Another social media user stated that since China followed health and safety protocol, and the people were co-operative, it was obvious that the situation would improve.
re: the disgusting “partying in Wuhan while the world pays the price” headline
👇how the (involuntary and enormous) sacrifice of the people of Wuhan saved the world time https://t.co/yf6UgT0aYo— Chenchen Zhang🤦🏻♀️ (@chenchenzh) August 20, 2020
While Wuhan parties it up, countries around the world including India, USA, Brazil, Italy and Spain are struggling to contain the spread of the virus as global numbers of active cases has gone up to 22,864,873, with the highest number of cases (5,621,035) reported from the United States followed by Brazil (3,532,330), according to John Hopkins University. Over 7,97,000 people have succumbed to the virus worldwide.
As on Saturday, of the total 2,975,701 confirmed cases in the country, 697,330 were active while 2,222,577 people have recovered from the infection, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The toll from the infection is now over 55,790.
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