[Explanation] On February 26, the State Council ’s joint prevention and control mechanism held a press conference in Beijing to introduce efforts to assist the accommodation, catering, and sports tourism industries that have been severely affected by the epidemic.

[Explanation] Recently, some provinces have released the "Guidelines for Guiding the Opening of Tourist Scenic Areas." Scenic areas around the country have begun to open gradually, and some have even been out of town, causing people to worry. Relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism stated that the opening of scenic spots in various places should not be "one size fits all."

[Contemporary] Liu Kezhi, Director, Department of Market Management, Ministry of Culture and Tourism

The restoration and opening up of tourist attractions should be guided by the local party committee and government and adhere to the principle of zoning and classification. According to the general requirements of epidemic prevention and control, a comprehensive assessment of the conditions and necessity of opening tourist attractions should not be made across the board. The opening of tourist attractions in high-risk areas of the epidemic is temporarily suspended. The opening of scenic spots in low-risk areas and high-risk areas is determined by the local party committee and government.

[Explanation] Since the outbreak, China's tourism industry has been severely affected. According to Liu Kezhi, in order to help the tourism enterprises to resolve the difficulties, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism temporarily refunded part of the travel service quality guarantee deposits to travel agencies around the country. The temporary refund standard is 80% of the current payment.

[Contemporary] Liu Kezhi, Director, Department of Market Management, Ministry of Culture and Tourism

According to statistics, there are 39,000 travel agencies in our country. As of February 25, a total of (35,200) companies offered to temporarily withdraw their guarantees, accounting for 90% of the total number of travel agencies. The total amount of receivable deposits reached 8 billion yuan, and now 3.462 billion yuan has been refunded. Judging from the feedback, the policy of temporarily withdrawing the deposit has effectively eased the pressure on corporate cash flow.

[Explanation] At the press conference, Peng Weiyong, deputy director of the Economic Department of the State General Administration of Sport, also introduced the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic on the sports industry. Peng Weiyong pointed out that due to the impact of the epidemic, the stadium was closed and many international events were postponed or held in different places.

[Contemporary] Peng Weiyong, Deputy Director of the Economic Department of the State General Administration of Sport

The performance of sports competitions should be completely suspended, especially involving many international events, such as the (Asian) indoor track and field championships, diving World Cup series, and qualification qualifiers for some items of the Tokyo Olympics. These have been postponed or held in different places. And our domestic professional leagues such as football, basketball, volleyball have also been postponed.

[Explanation] Peng Weiyong said that in order to protect athletes and referees, the first test match of the Beijing Winter Olympics was also forced to be cancelled. He pointed out that in the face of the sudden epidemic situation, the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, based on the implementation of prevention and control measures, coordinated the overall preparations for the Winter Olympics.

[Contemporary] Peng Weiyong, Deputy Director of the Economic Department of the State General Administration of Sport

At present, most venues and other infrastructure construction have resumed smoothly, and internal work such as plan preparation, system development, and desktop deduction are being accelerated. Some important events and conferences have been adjusted. For example, the hosted World Broadcaster Conference was held by video. The Winter Olympics Organizing Committee participated in the annual meeting of the IOC Press Committee. It also communicated with the IOC senior officials through video. Hold a high-level meeting to discuss some important issues in preparation.

[Explanation] Peng Weiyong said that the preparations for the Winter Olympics have not been affected too much by the new crown pneumonia epidemic. He believes that the preparations for the Winter Olympics will be completed in high quality and on time.

Reporter Liu Chao reports from Beijing

Editor-in-chief: [Liu Xian]