Strict crowd limits set for Beijing Lunar New Year celebrations in wake of Shanghai crush

Beijing authorities have set precise mathematical limits on allowable crowd densities for events during the Lunar New Year holiday after the government ordered increased safety precautions across the country in the wake of the deadly New Year's Eve stampede in Shanghai.

For street events in the capital, the maximum density is two square metres per person, reported.

Garden parties can be a little more intimate - with just one square metre per person - and indoor events even more so, at 0.7 square metres per person.

The city's tourism commission, Zhao Guangchao, said that events could be cancelled if the limits were exceeded.