BEIJING — Gatherings and parties will not be encouraged during the upcoming Chinese holidays, an immunization expert said on Sept 7.

"Large gatherings are not allowed," Wang Huaqing, an expert with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a news conference organized by the State Council inter-agency task force for COVID-19 response.

People need to stay careful when traveling out of their city, according to the expert, who cited the risk of imported cases as COVID-19 ravages the world.

He advised people to learn about the risk level of their destinations before travel and winnow out those with medium or high risk of coronavirus exposure. "Personal protection measures are required."

As of Sept 6, China had cleared all its high-risk areas for COVID-19 and only three regions remain on the list of medium-risk areas, according to Mi Feng, spokesperson for the National Health Commission.

China will celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on Sept 21 and the National Day holiday will begin on October 1.