Some doctors fear the lifting of restrictions will cause a rise again in the
number of casualties.
"Firecrackers are explosives, so are harmful to people, especially when
hitting the eyes," said Song Weixian, an oculist of the Beijing Tongren
Hospital.
"Every holiday I've treated patients with wounded eyes. Some will never be
able to see again."
Safty measures
To ensure the safety of firecrackers in Beijing, the products undergo at
least four safety checks before being distributed to retailers.
Transportation and storage at Beijing Federation of Supply and Marketing
Co-operatives is under close supervision.
All legal firecrackers sold in Beijing carry a special trademark of "Yan
Long" and a security code.
Hundreds of Beijing retailers permitted to sell firecrackers see safety as
paramount.
Fan Shuhua received month-long training about safety in terms of firecrackers
transportation, storage and sales before she was allowed to open her
firecrackers business at Chaoyang District in Beijing last Sunday.
"It is absolutely necessary," she said, adding that only by putting would-be
retailers through so many procedures could they treat sales so seriously.
"No smoking" posters have been pinned-up all over the two-floor store.
Fan's is among the 2,116 registered outlets in Beijing trading firecrackers
this year, of which 585 are in the centre and 1,600 are on the outskirts.
The purpose of establishing new stores within the Fifth Ring Road is to
crackdown on illegal products by giving residents easier access to approved
ones.
"By scattering permitted stores across the city, residents are able to obtain
safe firecrackers," said Qian Jin, director in charge of firecrackers management
in the Beijing Public Security Bureau.
Some 117 stores are permitted to operate 24 hours. "It means you don't even
need to walk out of the community to get firecrackers," Qian added.
In addition to keeping an eye on permitted stores, crackdowns on illegal
firecrackers have been under way.
In Dongcheng District, 23 permitted stores have been closely supervised to
ensure no illegal products are sold.
