Forbidden City in China's Beijing reopens to public after three-month closure

Beijing's parks and museums including the ancient Forbidden City reopened to the public Friday after being closed for months by the coronavirus pandemic.

The change comes at the start of the five-day May 1 holiday and in advance of China's rescheduled gathering of the National People's Congress on May 22 -- delayed from early March.

The Forbidden City has been home to China's emperors.It is now allowing just 5,000 visitors daily, down from 80,000.

According to new guidelines, large-scale group activities remain on hold and visitors must book tickets in advance online.

Beijing on Thursday downgraded its level of emergency response to the virus from first to second tier, but social distancing remain in force.

Talking of Congress sessions, it's not yet clear if the 3,000 or so delegates would come to Beijing, or if sessions would be held virtually through videoconference.

China on Friday reported 12 new cases of coronavirus, six of them brought from overseas, and no new deaths for the 16th day.

The country has so far reported a total of 4,633 deaths from coronavirus and 83,000 cases.

Most recent cases reported in China have been among travellers arriving from abroad or in a northeastern province near the border with Russia.