Wuhan Music Festival attended by thousands amid COVID surge in South Asia

Wuhan Strawberry Music festival returned to China as more than 11,000 people attend the festival on Saturday while other South Asian countries battle the second wave of coronavirus. Last year, the festival was organised online due to COVID-19 restrictions. 

A spokesperson for the Festival said that the numbers will be restricted this year. He told Reuters that barriers were set in front of each stage and security personnel were making sure that those areas do not get crowded. 

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It was observed that on the first day of the festival, only some spectators wore masks but the crowd remained mostly dominated by those who did not. COVID-19 first emerged from Wuhan in 2019. Consequently, the state was put under two months of stringent restrictions in what was later called the world’s first coronavirus-induced lockdown. 

The two-day event is being organised in Wuhan’s famous Garden Expo park. During the five-day national holiday, other sister events are being held in different cities, including Beijing. 

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The country’s National Health Commission reported 16 new COVID-19 cases in Mainland China on Friday. In a statement, the Commission has reported that all the new cases were imported infections originating overseas. 

The confirmed number of coronavirus cases in mainland China is 90,671 with the death toll at 4,600. 

According to official data, China has administered over 11.6 million vaccines against COVID-19 on Friday bringing the total count to more than 265 million doses.