Cautious Lunar New Year festivities in China amid virus

ANKARA

China is celebrating its Lunar New Year with week-long public holidays in the country amid measures to avoid contracting the coronavirus.

The week-long holidays began on Thursday. This festival lasts for at least 16 days, from the Chinese New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival or the Spring Lantern Festival. This year it will run through Feb. 26.

In the Chinese tradition, this new year has come in the “spirit of the Ox,” a zodiac animal that symbolizes stamina, energy, and dedication.

According to the Chinese state-run Xinhua News, China is entering a new beginning of great significance for both the Chinese people and the Communist Party of China (CPC) with more than 91 million members, and leading cadres in particular.

It credited the CPC for leading the country with a population of over 1.4 billion to overcome many challenges, including COVID-19.

This year’s eve was defined as “three cattle spirit” – the term first used by China’s President Xi Jinping at a New Year’s gathering hosted by the CPC’s National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing late last December.

Chinese people are celebrating the New Year amid cautious restrictions to avoid contracting coronavirus, which was first reported in China’s Wuhan city in the central Hubei province in December 2019.

Since then, over 107 million people have been infected globally and more than 2.3 million deaths have been reported. Though China successfully managed to suppress the infection, it witnessed fresh outbreaks last month.

Due to the increased number of commutations between provinces during holidays, the risk of COVID-19 spread remains high. However, provincial and local authorities have issued strict guidelines for people not to leave their homes to control the spread of coronavirus.

China reported 89,748 confirmed cases of COVID-19 until Friday, including 4,636 deaths, according to the National Health Commission.

Beijing also used this moment to rehabilitate its relations with the US as Chinese Ambassador to Washington DC Cui Tiankai said in the New Year's message: “The two countries should work together for a better-shared future in the spirit of the Ox.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his message on the occasion said: “I send my best wishes to all, for prosperity, health, and happiness in the Year of the Ox.”