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WORLD NEWS Monday 23 January 2023

China rings in Year of Rabbit with most COVID rules lifted

A visitor wearing a face mask poses for a photo in front of a New Year-themed display at a public park in Beijing on the first day of
the Lunar New Year holiday, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023.
Associated Press

By EMILY WANG FUJIYAMA as the Spring Festival in Chi- At Taoranting Park, there since early December. The
and KANIS LEUNG na, with the capital host- was no sign of the usual statement on Saturday
Associated Press ing thousands of cultural bustling new year food said the deaths occurred
BEIJING (AP) — People events — on a larger scale stalls despite its walkways in hospitals, which means
across China rang in the than a year ago. being decorated with tra- anyone who died at home
Lunar New Year on Sunday "He has never experienced ditional Chinese lanterns. would not be included in
with large family gatherings what a traditional new year A popular temple fair at the tally.
and crowds visiting temples is like because he was too Badachu Park that was sus- China has counted only
after the government lifted young three years ago and pended for three years will deaths from pneumonia or
its strict "zero-COVID" poli- he had no memory of that," be back this week, but simi- respiratory failure in its of-
cy, marking the biggest fes- said Si Jia, who brought her lar events at Ditan Park and ficial COVID-19 death toll,
tive celebration since the 7-year-old son to the Qian- Longtan Lake Park have a narrow definition that ex-
pandemic began three men area near Beijing's Ti- yet to return. cludes many deaths that
years ago. ananmen Square to expe- The mass movement of would be attributed to
The Lunar New Year is the rience the festive vibe and people may cause the virus COVID-19 in much of the
most important annual holi- learn about traditional Chi- to spread in certain areas, world.
day in China. Each year is nese culture. said Wu Zunyou, the chief In Hong Kong, revelers
named after one of the 12 Nearly 53,000 offered epidemiologist at China's flocked to the city's larg-
signs of the Chinese zodiac prayers at Beijing's Lama Center for Disease Control. est Taoist temple, Wong Tai
in a repeating cycle, with Temple but the crowds ap- But a large-scale COVID-19 Sin, to burn the first incense
this year being the Year peared to be smaller com- surge will be unlikely in the sticks of the year. The pop-
of the Rabbit. For the past pared to pre-pandemic next two or three months ular ritual was suspended
three years, celebrations days. The Tibetan Buddhist because about 80% of the the last two years due to
were muted in the shadow site allows up to 60,000 country's 1.4 billion people the pandemic.
of the pandemic. visitors a day, citing safety have been infected during Traditionally, big crowds
With the easing of most reasons, and requires an the recent wave, he wrote gather before 11 p.m. on
COVID-19 restrictions that advance reservation. on the social media plat- Lunar New Year's Eve, with
had confined millions to Throngs of residents and form Weibo on Saturday. everyone trying to be the
their homes, people could tourists swarmed pedes- The center reported 12,660 first, or among the first,
finally make their first trip trian streets in Qianmen, COVID-19-related deaths to put their incense sticks
back to their hometowns enjoying snacks from bar- between Jan. 13 and 19, into the stands in front of
to reunite with their fami- becue and New Year rice including 680 cases of re- the temple's main hall.
lies without worrying about cake stands, and some spiratory failure caused Worshippers believe those
the hassles of quarantine, children wore traditional by the virus and 11,980 fa- who are among the first to
potential lockdowns and Chinese rabbit hats. Others talities from other ailments place their incense sticks
suspension of travel. Larger held blown sugar or marsh- combined with COVID-19. will stand the best chance
public celebrations also mallows shaped like rab- These are on top of 60,000 of having their prayers
returned for what is known bits. fatalities reported last week answered.q