Wuhan University offers chance to see cherry blossoms

Wuhan University reopened to the public for cherry blossom appreciation after closure last year due to COVID-19, its official Wechat account said on Sunday.

From March 15 to 27, people can make an online reservation to visit the campus between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm on workdays and between 8 am and 6 pm on weekends.

Reservations became available via the university's official website and WeChat account on Sunday. They need to be made three days ahead of the day of the visit.

This year, the university is limiting the number of visitors to 15,000 on workdays and 30,000 on weekends.

Anyone presenting symptoms of illness, including fever (body temperature over 37.3 degrees Celsius), cough, fatigue, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea will not be allowed to enter the campus until fully recovered.

The university designated Saturday as the special day for doctors and nurses who were engaged in COVID-19 prevention and control in Wuhan to appreciate the cherry blossoms. Medical personal can make individual or group appointments to visit from 7 am to 9 pm starting on Monday. Each person is allowed to bring up to two family members.

At the beginning of 2020, 42,000 doctors and nurses from other regions and 540,000 local medical workers fought against COVID-19 and missed the chance to see the famous cherry blossoms on the campus, China News Agency reported.

Han Jin, secretary of the Party Committee of Wuhan University, and Dou Xiankang, the headmaster, said they would set a special day every year for medical staff and their families to appreciate the blossoms.