(Fighting New Coronary Pneumonia) San Francisco "extraordinary holiday" under the epidemic

　　China News Service, San Francisco, November 30th, title: San Francisco "extraordinary holiday" under the epidemic

　　China News Agency reporter Liu Guanguan

　　"As long as the ending is satisfactory, everyone will be happy!"

　　To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the completion of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, a 150-foot-high Ferris wheel was quietly erected in the park this spring.

After several months of waiting for the epidemic, this behemoth finally turned around on October 20.

Its co-owner Todd Schneider also borrowed the title of Shakespeare's comedy "All's well that ends well" to express his excitement.

However, he would not have thought that the Ferris wheel would have to stop again after 40 days of rotation.

　　On November 28, San Francisco reported a record 256 new cases.

On the same day, California included San Francisco as the most restrictive "purple" grade in its "four-color restart plan."

Most indoor activities in San Francisco must be closed before noon on the 29th, and residents must abide by the "curfew" from the evening of the 30th.

In addition, San Francisco will close some outdoor entertainment facilities, including this Ferris wheel.

　　On the evening of the 29th, the last afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on the Ferris wheel, reflecting the golden light.

At the foot of the Ferris wheel, the fence leading tourists to line up is empty, and the window of the ticket hall has a temporarily closed notice.

Occasionally, tourists wearing masks stepped forward and left quietly after reading the notice.

　　Not far away, the statue of Robert Emmet and the skeleton model of the giant Tyrannosaurus rex in the lobby of the California Science Museum were all put on masks.

The Thanksgiving holiday is over, but the museum staff can have a holiday.

After entering the "purple" level, both this museum and the Deyang Art Museum opposite can not escape the fate of being temporarily closed.

　　The surge in cases forced these institutions to close their doors, while other institutions "came into being."

The Alemani Farmers Market was recently "temporarily requisitioned" and became a "drive-speed" virus detection station.

The peak travel times during the Thanksgiving holiday made these inspection stations extremely busy.

On the 24th, staff wearing protective clothing shuttled among the murals of melons and fruits to guide people for testing.

The staff responsible for contacting the media arranged the reporter's application for filming until after the holiday on the grounds that they could not mobilize staff before the holiday.

　　Although the government has urged people not to travel, the Associated Press reported that from the 20th to the 25th, approximately 900,000 to 1 million people passed through US airport checkpoints every day.

This is the largest crowd at the airport since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic in the United States in March.

　　On the morning of Thanksgiving, Alisa came to San Francisco International Airport alone.

She said that she knows the attitude of the government and the risks of flying.

However, she really wants to take advantage of the holiday to visit her elderly grandmother.

Alyssa was tested for the virus in advance. In addition, in order to avoid peak travel, she deliberately chose to travel on Thanksgiving Day.

Alisha said: "I am very cautious, first make sure that I am safe, my family should not be at risk."

　　However, the behavior of Eliza still worries epidemiologists and public health officials.

Vanderbilt University epidemiologist Bill Schaffner said that at this year's Thanksgiving party, people "will not only give thanks, but also give viruses."

　　Some people choose to fly far away to reunite with their families during the holidays, while others use "Black Friday" to shop as much as they want.

　　On the day of "Black Friday", at the Outlet Mall in San Francisco, Bob, who was sitting in a chair waiting for his companions with more than a dozen bulging bags, started talking with reporters.

Bob and a few friends come here to shop every year on the "Black Friday". In Bob's concept, this activity is like an annual tradition and agreement between friends and cannot be interrupted by the epidemic.

　　In this shopping center, some popular brand stores have queues exceeding 100 meters, and the passenger flow in certain areas can be described as "shouldering".

However, in the parking lot, compared with last year’s “hard to find”, as long as the car is driven farther this year, it is not difficult to find a parking space.

　　Preliminary data from Sensormatic Solutions shows that during the "Black Five" period, the traffic of US retail stores dropped by 52.1% compared to last year.

However, some retailers have moved the “open door rush” to online.

According to data from Adobe Analytics, online spending on the "Black Friday" surged 21.6% this year, setting a new record.

　　In order to divert customers, Macy's in San Francisco also started the "Black Friday" discount campaign early.

On the 21st, the reporter saw at Macy’s that the "Black Friday" promotional advertisements everywhere in the mall were the same as in previous years.

However, the uniform masks on the faces of plastic models in a line have also become the "extraordinary" feature of this shopping season.

　　On Union Square in front of Macy's, some citizens gathered around the 25-meter-high Christmas tree to take photos.

In order to reduce gatherings, the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Macy's was held in a simple way this year.

A few days ago, as a 9-year-old girl pressed the power switch, this Christmas tree decorated with more than 33,000 energy-saving LED lights and 1,100 decorations illuminated a billboard next to it that read "Happy Holidays."

The pedestrians nearby did not even realize that this important ceremony, which attracts thousands of spectators every year, would be quietly completed in such an "extraordinary" way.

　　Todd Schneider of Golden Gate Park is still unsure when he can press the switch of the Ferris wheel again.

When the afterglow of the sun disappeared from the Ferris wheel, people relaxing nearby began to leave.

In the woods, several young people were taking a group photo with the Ferris wheel as the background, and then waved goodbye.

A teenager said to his companions: "Goodbye, guys, see you next year." One of the companions replied: "Goodbye, this terrible year." (End)