Shanghai Disney Resort and Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower are among the major tourist attractions that suspended operation from Monday due to an ongoing Omicron variant flare-up in the city. 

The city detected 24 new confirmed local coronavirus cases and 734 asymptomatic carriers on Sunday, the local health commission said on Monday. 

A total of 22 confirmed infections and 652 silent carriers were discovered after a screening at the high and medium-risk compounds. The remaining cases were identified among those in quarantine or placed under medical observation. 

Due to the current COVID-19 situation, Shanghai Disney Resort, including Shanghai Disneyland, Disneytown and Wishing Star Park, are temporarily shut down starting Monday, the resort announced in a notice published on Sunday.

"We will continue to monitor the coronavirus situation and consult local authorities, and will notify guests as soon as we have a confirmed date to resume operations," the announcement said. 

Tourists with tickets to visit Shanghai Disneyland on or after Monday can choose to visit the park on any other day within the next six months from the validity date of the tickets after reopening. 

Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower also announced suspension of operations from Monday due to epidemic control requirements. 

A total of 249 parks in Shanghai were temporarily closed as of Saturday, and those still open decided to close their indoor spaces, according to Shanghai city officials. 

The city has reported a growing number of positive cases in recent days, which reflects the effect of early screening, Wu Jinglei, director of Shanghai's Health Commission, explained at a press briefing on Monday, noting that the steps are the basis to realize "dynamic zero-COVID" among urban communities.

On March 16 and 17, Shanghai conducted nucleic acid screening in key quarters of the city. Shanghai also conducted classified screening and management over different regions based on COVID-19 risk evaluation, and screened more than 30 million samples for nucleic acid testing from March 18 to Sunday.

Global Times