File photo:Xinhua

Graduating students of universities in Beijing are allowed to return to campuses gradually from Saturday, according to local authorities.

More than 20 universities including Peking University, the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) and Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT) are expected to welcome back over 4,800 graduating students on Saturday.

This move follows the reopening of primary and middle schools on June 1, as the COVID-19 epidemic continues to wane in the Chinese capital.

Beijing announced Friday that it would lower its emergency response to the novel coronavirus epidemic from the second level to the third level starting from Saturday.

Peking University said around 7,000 final year students will return to campus on a voluntary basis in four batches this month.

It said its staff has started to embark on back-to-campus work for graduating students since May and established 10 special teams to engage in the work.

Twelve teachers of Peking University even traveled to central China's Hubei Province, a hard-hit province of the virus, and accompanied over 200 Hubei students back to Beijing on Saturday and took care of them during the journey.