Moviegoers at a cinema in Beijing on Friday, the frst day of Year of the Ox. Photo: CFP

China on Monday said it will scrap a nationwide control policy in multiple entertainment places in low-risk areas, another step to relax the country's anti-COVID-19 measures as the epidemic situation gets gradually under control.

Overall visitor volume limits for cinemas, internet cafes and other entertainment places in low-risk areas will be dropped and can be adjusted by related departments of local governments, said the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China (MCT) on Monday. 

For large-scale commercial performances, the ministry told local authorities to control audience numbers according to local quarantine policies and public security department. 

Also on Monday, the capital city Beijing announced plans to relax COVID-19 restrictions in many areas, including inter-city taxi services, hospital visits and schools. 

Passengers with green health codes coming from low-risk areas can travel freely across the country by rail from Tuesday, and those who wish to enter or leave Beijing no longer require a negative nucleic acid test taken within seven days.

Analysts said the measures will further inject momentum into the country's virus-hit film and transport sectors. As of press time, China's box office in 2021 was approaching 17 billion yuan ($2.62 billion) and 7.8 billion yuan of that came during the 2021 Chinese New Year holiday. 

In the leisure travel sector, China's civil aviation regulator said that passenger traffic in February was 23.95 million trips, a gain of 187.1 percent from the same period last year. The regulator vowed to bring passenger transport back to around 90 percent of the level before the epidemic, and it will try to reduce losses and increase profits for aviation companies.