The Chinese New Year flower fair is one of the biggest events for Spring Festival celebrations in Guangzhou, immersing the city in festive atmosphere with colorful, aromatic flowers and creative souvenirs. It is also a great way for visitors to dive into local customs.

However, some cities in Guangdong province have announced the cancellation of flower markets this Spring Festival to avoid people gatherings. 

A number of regions in Zhuhai, Qingyuan, Zhaoqing, Foshan and Jiangmen cities will suspend flower fairs and encourage online purchase of flowers and plants, while Shenzhen will set up temporary offline points in sub-districts for flower sales.

Several regions in Guangzhou also announced their decisions to halt or scale down flower fairs during the holiday.

—Nansha district: Dagang (大岗镇) and Dongchong (东涌镇) towns and Zhujiang Street (珠江街) will cancel all flower markets. Citizens can pick up blossoms and tangerine trees by themselves at  stores.

—Yuexiu district: The flower fair in the region is scheduled between February 9 and 11 at the "L" area from Xihu Lu to Jiaoyu Lu (西湖路至教育路), with only 87 booths, nearly half the size last year.

—Baiyun district: The flower market will be set at Wanda Plaza (白云万达广场) between February 9 and 11 with fewer stands.

—Tianhe district: The flower bazaar at the Tianhe Sports Center is expected to be about the same size last year, with 318 booths planned.

—Conghua district: Flower fair will be held at the Fengyun Ling' Pingdi Park (风云岭坪地公园) between February 5 and 10.

—Zengcheng district: Flower market is scheduled at Zengcheng Square between February 7 and 11.

Haizhu, Liwan and Huangpu districts are planning flower fairs as scheduled, but details are not yet unveiled to the public.

Considering the risk of COVID-19 infection, companies, institutes and organizations are advised to move their year-end parties online and avoid holding large offline gatherings, especially cross-province ones, according to Deng Huihong, director of the Guangdong Disease Control and Prevention Center (CDC).

Offline parties, if absolutely necessary, should be planned with pandemic control measures and be kept among participants within the province. A stringent disease prevention and control scheme and an emergency response plan should be put in place in parties of over 50 people.  

The CDC also advises party holders to choose well-ventilated places in low-risk areas as venues, screen and register participants and require mask wearing during gatherings. Accommodation in designated hotels and staggering meal times are also encouraged if the party lasts for days.