BEIJING: After one Covid flare-up forced officials to enact stringent travel restrictions, more than 80,000 tourists were stranded in a vacation city affectionately referred to as “China’s Hawaii.”
Tourist destination On Sunday, 483 cases of Covid were reported in Sanya, a city of much more than a million inhabitants on the southern island of Hainan. Over the weekend, authorities cancelled all planes leaving the city and stopped selling train tickets.
Health officials stated that visitors who want to depart should test negative in five PCR tests conducted over a seven-day period. Until the travel bans loosen, hotels in the town are required to provide guests a 50% discount, an official stated during a news conference on Saturday.
China is the only developed country that is still adhering to a zero-Covid strategy that entails sudden lockdowns and protracted quarantines, which is bad for local tourism.
Additionally, since early 2020, the country’s borders have remained largely closed, preventing foreign travel.
The most recent Covid epidemic occurred in Sanya, a famous surfing destination, during the busiest travel period.
Since last week, all amusement venues have been shuttered, including spas, karaoke bars, and pubs, while necessary services like pharmacies and groceries are still available.
