Thousands of people stood shoulder to shoulder at a water park in Wuhan over the weekend for a socially snug concert, less than a year after the novel coronavirus broke out in the Chinese city.
Photos from the Playa Maya Water Park show Chinese tourists swimming and floating on dinghies in close quarters, without the usual masks and social-distancing measures that have become commonplace in other countries hit by the virus.
More people were wearing goggles and life-jackets than face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the photos show.
Critics have often described such partygoers as “Covidiots” in other parts of the world, including the U.S. and Canada. However, Wuhan claims to have effectively stopped the spread of COVID-19, which has seemingly allowed it to revive the parties of the past.
The images were captured on Saturday night during an electronic music festival at the water park, the AFP reports.
Partygoers packed into the pool while a DJ performed on stage.
The performance also included a guy on a hoverboard with fireworks on his back.
The global pandemic has killed at least 770,000 people and infected 20 million more while bringing the world’s economy to its knees. China claims to have largely brought the virus under control, while the U.S. has been hit harder than any other country in the world.
Wuhan, which saw the first cases of the virus, has been inching back toward normal life after a strict 76-day lockdown earlier this year. The capital of Hubei province is home to about 11 million people.
The city’s Playa Maya Water Park reopened in June and has been running at 50 per cent capacity. Local media report that the park is offering a half-price promotion for female visitors in an effort to kick-start business.
No new cases have been reported in Wuhan or the surrounding Hubei province since mid-May, although any statistics out of China should be taken with a grain of salt. The Chinese government spent several months concealing the extent of infections and deaths, three U.S. officials told Bloomberg News in April.
China blasted the United States last week for its handling of the pandemic, which has infected 5.4 million Americans and killed about 170,000 to date.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar was the “worst in the world” at controlling the virus, after Azar criticized China from Taiwan.
“He ignored millions of Americans suffering from the virus and went to Taiwan to put on a political show,” Zhao said.
“His behaviour proves once again that in the eyes of U.S. politicians, American lives mean nothing when compared with their selfish political gains,” he said.
Mainland China reported 22 new coronavirus cases on Monday, up from 19 new cases a day earlier. Government officials say all of the new cases were imported and there were no deaths.
—With files from Reuters and The Associated Press