Hong Kong's Disneyland will reopen its doors on Thursday following nearly five months of closure, the park said Monday, in a fresh boost for a city that has largely managed to defeat the coronavirus.

Visitors will need to sign health declarations, submit to regular temperature checks and wear masks at all times unless eating, the park said in a statement on Monday.

It is just the second Disneyland around the world to resume services during the pandemic after Shanghai turned its lights and rides back on last month.

Tokyo and Paris remain closed while the company's flagship park in California is eyeing a July reopening.

Hong Kong was one of the first places to record coronavirus infections after the disease first emerged in central China, morphing into a global pandemic and enveloping much of the world in a recession.

But the finance hub has since managed to largely halt local transmission with just over 1,100 infections and four deaths.

All overseas passengers are screened at the airport and quarantined by authorities if found to be infected -- on top of a mandatory 14-day home quarantine for arrivals.

Across the globe, tourism operators are desperate to restart business, trialling different forms of social distancing as lockdowns ease.

Last month, a group of Japanese amusement parks announced guidelines on how to operate safely under the threat of the virus, including asking guests to "refrain from vocalising loudly" on rollercoasters and other rides.

Park staff, including those dressed up as stuffed animal mascots and superheroes, were also advised to not shake hands or high-five with young fans.

Hong Kong authorities currently ban gatherings of more than eight people because of the virus. That ban is up for renewal on Thursday, the day Disneyland reopens.

David Hui, a leading infectious disease expert in the city, told RTHK radio on Monday that the anti-virus ban could be further relaxed as most activities in the city have resumed.

Authorities have also used the public gathering ban as a way to refuse permission for pro-democracy protests which have bubbled up again in recent weeks and been quickly dispersed by riot police citing the emergency measures.

Last year, the city was rocked by seven straight months of huge and often violent pro-democracy demonstrations and Beijing has since vowed to impose a new sweeping national security law on the business hub.

China virus cluster grows as European borders reopen
Beijing (AFP) June 15, 2020 - China reported dozens of new coronavirus cases for the second consecutive day on Monday as a growing cluster of infections stoked fears of a second wave, while more borders were opened in Europe ahead of the summer holiday season.

Streams of people queued in a stadium as mass testing was carried out in Beijing, the capital of the country where the disease emerged late last year.

The pandemic is gathering pace in Latin America, and Iran and India have reported worrying increases in deaths and infections -- adding to concern over challenges the world will face in the long fight against COVID-19.

But for the moment news has been better in Europe, which has mostly seen caseloads fall steadily in recent weeks.

Many countries are further lifting painful lockdowns that have saved lives, but have also devastated economies and wearied confined populations.

"Very few people have been infected... it's why I've chosen to travel to Santorini. Next week I'm going to Crete," Max Han, a young Chinese tourist, told AFP on the Greek island as he admired the sunset.

Greece is already allowing travellers from nations deemed low-risk, and on Monday it opened its borders to EU countries -- as did Germany, Belgium, France, with Austria to follow the next day.

China was the first country to implement extreme restrictions on movement early this year, forcing local transmission down to near-zero as the crisis walloped the rest of the world.

But on Monday Chinese health officials reported there have now been 75 cases of the respiratory illness in Beijing where the fresh cluster has been linked to a wholesale food market.

More than 10,000 people there have already been tested, including workers at the Xinfadi market, local residents and anyone who visited it in recent weeks.

Officials have said they plan to test 46,000 people who live in the area, and a strict lockdown was extended across 21 neighbourhoods in the capital.

- 'Micro-outbreaks' -

More than 430,000 people worldwide have died from COVID-19, nearly halfway through a year in which countless lives have been upended and the global economy ravaged by the crisis.

The United States -- by far the hardest-hit country with more than 115,700 recorded fatalities -- on Monday reported its lowest 24-hour death toll since its infection rate peaked in mid-April.

President Donald Trump's administration has noted that some states have seen new flare-ups, but insists there will be no shutdown of the economy if a second full-blown wave arises.

The Middle East's worst-hit country, Iran, reported its own uptick on Sunday, recording more than 100 new virus deaths in a single day for the first time in two months.

And there have been two new outbreaks in Rome, with 109 infections including five deaths diagnosed at a hospital and 15 cases detected at a building inhabited by squatters.

"It means the virus hasn't lost its infectiousness, it isn't weakening... we shouldn't let down our guard," World Health Organization deputy director Ranieri Guerra told Italian journalists.

"Such micro-outbreaks were inevitable, but they are limited in time and space. And today we have the tools to intercept them and confine them."

Despite fears over fresh clusters, many countries are making moves towards semi-normality.

Egypt is set to welcome tourists to beach resorts in July, and Peru's Machu Picchu will also reopen next month, although it will sharply reduce the number of daily visitors.

And the English Premier League finally makes its long-awaited return this week following a three-month virus suspension.

Related Links
Global Trade News

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Stocks track US rout as rally hits roadblock, second virus wave appears
Hong Kong (AFP) June 12, 2020
Equities and oil sank Friday while the dollar rallied as investors ran for the hills following the worst Wall Street rout since March, fuelled by worries about the economic recovery and a second virus wave in the US. World markets have blasted higher since hitting a deep trough three months ago, supported by trillions of dollars in government and central bank help and an easing of lockdown measures. But the optimism on trading floors was shattered Wednesday when Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powel ... read more