China is striving to stop two coronavirus outbreaks in two of its largest tourist destinations, the tropical island of Hainan and Tibet, with measures typical of its zero tolerance policy that have trapped tens of thousands of tourists in both territories, while the State newspapers ask the authorities to stand firm.
Nicknamed "Chinese Hawaii" and a popular destination among surfers, the island is facing its worst spike in cases in two years, with more than 1,500 cases between August 1 and 9 in the resort city of Sanya, according to figures. officers. As a result, all flights were cancelled, for about 175,000 tourists have been trapped, state media reported yesterday.
Authorities announced yesterday that tourists who have been to areas where no cases have been reported will be able to leave after testing negative twice within 48 hours. Travelers in areas with a low number of cases will be able to leave the island if they have tested negative three times in 72 hours and show no symptoms. But those in areas with more cases will have to wait for the health emergency to improve.
Sanya hotels must offer guests a 50% discount until restrictions are lifted, officials said on Saturday. In the city, public entertainment venues such as spas, karaoke bars and bars have been closed since last week, but essential services such as supermarkets and pharmacies remain open.
Dongfang, a city of more than 400,000 people, entered a three-day lockdown from Tuesday. The island's capital, Haikou, has lifted the lockdown that lasted for hours on Monday. There, several matches of the Chinese soccer championship, scheduled for the next few days, have been postponed indefinitely. About a third of the Chinese teams are currently in this city, having played other matches there, and will not be able to leave immediately, according to state media.
Mainland China reported 828 new locally transmitted cases in more than a dozen provinces and regions as of Aug. 8, with more than half of them in Hainan, official data showed on Tuesday.
As for Tibet, which has so far only reported one symptomatic case since the pandemic began more than two years ago, it has also reported cases. In some parts of the high plateau north of the Himalayas, massive tests for Covid-19 were carried out on Tuesday, including its two largest cities, Lhasa and Shigatse, where local authorities suspended large events, closed entertainment venues, religious and some places. attractions, including the Potala Palace.
In 2019, Tibet received a record 39.6 million domestic tourists attracted by its pristine natural landscapes and promise of adventure travel. That was comparable to the 40.9 million international tourist arrivals to the UK that year.
Hainan's success in containing smaller outbreaks in April and July has led to complacency among officials and residents, a provincial health official said. "We still have many shortcomings and weaknesses in Covid epidemiological investigation, testing and treatment," Hainan health commission chief Zhou Changqiang told state television late on Monday.
The state newspaper Economic Daily pointed in the same direction yesterday on its front page, asking Chinese officials not to "soften" or "get tired of the war" when it comes to combating Covid-19. Unlike Western countries, he added, China's approach to quelling the virus aims to prevent deaths and protect people's health.
China is the only major economy that continues to pursue a zero covid strategy, imposing lockdowns and lengthy quarantines that penalize local tourism. The country's borders have been almost completely closed since the beginning of 2020, preventing the entry of most foreign visitors.
