Authorities in east China's Shanghai have ordered the suspension of karaoke bars as the city tries to contain recent cases of COVID-19 at one such entertainment outlet, Jin Lei, the deputy director of the Shanghai culture and tourism bureau, told a press conference on Wednesday.

However, other recently reopened public and cultural venues, such as libraries, can stay open, the official said, adding Shanghai will provide subsidies to lower the burden on companies.

The city reported two confirmed COVID-19 cases outside closed-off areas between midnight and 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

People are eager to go to entertainment places and those places are eager to reopen, said Jin. But such venues are usually indoors, and the quality of management varies, leading to risks of reintroducing coronaviruses.

He said the authorities are investigating a few karaoke spots that allegedly tried to reopen without government permission.

The local government now requires all entertainment and tourism spots to set up entrance checks and ensure that customers present negative COVID test results within the previous 72 hours.

The authorities also announced new supportive measures for legally reopened spots, including deductions in taxes, rent, and electricity and water costs.

Shanghai started to allow entertainment spots to reopen gradually on July 1. A total of 25 art galleries, 29 museums and 84 level-A tourism spots have reopened.

Performance venues will start to reopen on July 8 along with movie theaters, Jin announced.