The 2020 Shanghai Marathon will run as scheduled on 29 November, while circuit breaker measures will be implemented in case of epidemic risks.
It was also announced by the event organizer that the half-marathon event has been cancelled this year. In addition, the number of contestants for the full-marathon event has been limited to 9,000.

Epidemic prevention guidelines have been drafted for this year’s competition. It is stipulated that before the event begins, information of all participants will be screened regularly to closely track any change in their health codes (as the QR codes contain people’s travel history).
All participants and front-line staff (including first-aid runners and volunteers who have contact with runners) must submit a nucleic acid negative test report and sign a letter of commitment.
ID card (or passport), health QR code and temperature measurement are three essentials before contestants enter the competition area.

To keep the security risks at a low level, crowds around the finish line and along the race route will not be allowed this year.
The competition area and the facilities will be sanitized every two hours to ensure the hygiene of these public spaces.
An emergency response mechanism has also been formed, according to the organizing company of the Shanghai Marathon. The mechanism will be launched as soon as a confirmed COVID-19 case is identified, or people with an abnormal health QR code or abnormal body temperature are discovered during the race. Circuit breaker measures will be carried out to terminate the race if there are risks of virus spread.
A key catalyst of the future sports industry, the return of road race events, like the Shanghai Marathon, is also sending a positive signal to the whole society.  
“The holding of the Shanghai Marathon should be regarded as a new starting point,” commented Dr. Zhang Wenhong, an infectious diseases expert at Huashan Hospital and head of Shanghai’s expert team for novel coronavirus treatment.

“The National Day holiday [in early October] was actually a great pressure test across the whole country, and most of our cities withstood the test of epidemic prevention. It therefore makes sense for China to hold a marathon race like this.” As Zhang believes, cultural and sporting events can be held properly on the premise of anti-epidemic measures, as the country gains more control over the epidemic.  
The Shanghai Marathon has been rated as a golden-label road race by the IAAF. This year also marks the 25th anniversary of its establishment.