People visit the West Lake scenic area in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, Feb 19, 2020. (ZHENG MENGYU / XINHUA)

BEIJING - Some tourist attractions in low-risk regions of the novel coronavirus outbreak have gradually resumed opening to the public, Liu Kezhi, an official with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said Wednesday.

The reopening of tourist sites should follow the principle of taking differentiated measures, Liu said a press conference in Beijing, adding that in the meantime, relevant authorities should conduct an overall assessment for the conditions and necessity of the reopening.

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The reopening of tourist attractions to the public in high-risk regions should be postponed, Liu said, adding that the reopening of tourist attractions in medium- and low-risk regions can be decided by local authorities.

The ministry has also issued a guideline to give direction to tourist sites across the country on controlling visitor flow, preventing public gatherings, health management of working staff, and methods of handling exceptional situations to aid the work resumption, Liu said.

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