48 Hours in pictures, 17 January 2021

An aerial view taken with a drone shows the venue of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China, 14 January 2021 (issued 15 January 2021). The winter festival opened to the public with strengthened precautions due to new Covid-19 outbreaks in nearby cities. With temperatures at -20 degrees Celsius, visitors must patiently scan all the codes at the entrance, get their temperature checked and wear masks at all times. In 2021, few tourists are visiting the Harbin Ice Festival compared to the millions of tourists in previous years. In the past years, one of the festival’s highlights was a group wedding ceremony, which has been canceled this year along with other usual events, performances, and activities such as sledding, speed skating, ice hockey, ice football competitions. According to the National Health Commission, there are 144 COVID-19 new cases reported in mainland China as of 15 January 2021. On 13 January 2021, the Heilongjiang Province government declared a state of emergency as the outbreak spreads. EPA-EFE/ALEX PLAVEVSKI