More than 80,000 tourists are stuck on the Chinese holiday island of Hainan after a corona outbreak at a vacation spot also known as “Hawaii of China”. All flights from the island have been canceled and tickets for the trains that run on the island are no longer sold.
Tourists who want to leave Sanya, for example, now have to show five negative PCR tests within seven days before they are allowed to leave, the Chinese health authorities said. Hotels must give guests a 50 percent discount until travel restrictions are lifted. Leisure facilities such as spas or karaoke bars are closed – supermarkets and pharmacies remain open.
The authorities in China are pursuing a strict zero-covid strategy despite the enormous economic damage and growing discontent among the people. Individual outbreaks are immediately addressed through lockdowns and mass testing.
Air traffic relaxation
In parallel with Hainan’s strict approach, China relaxed the strict corona requirements for international flights. Airlines that have more than four percent of passengers on board who have tested positive for the corona virus on arrival from abroad will only have to suspend their flights on the affected route for a week instead of the previous two weeks. If more than eight percent of all air passengers are positive, the flight ban will last two weeks, according to the aviation authority. In such a case, the airline was previously not allowed to fly on this route for four weeks.
There are only a few flight connections between China and other countries, which are also very expensive and fail time and again. The country is largely closed off and international tourism has come to a standstill.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
