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More than 80,000 tourists have been stranded at a popular tourist hub in China after an outbreak of coronavirus triggered a lockdown.
The authorities canceled all flights and trains from Sanya, known as the “Hawaii of China”, on Saturday, a day after 263 positive cases were confirmed.
Travelers must now present five negative PCR tests for seven days before they are allowed to leave.
China is the only major economy still following a “zero covid” policy.
image source, Getty Images
image source, Getty Images
The country has recorded fewer than 15,000 deaths since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University.
However, the measures adopted have raised concerns about the impact that strict rules will have on the economy, including mass testing and local lockdowns.
surfing destination
The restrictions in Sanya, a city in the south of Hainan Island and a popular surfing destination, come during the peak tourist season.
essential services like supermarkets and pharmacies remain open, but entertainment venues have been closed since last week, reports the AFP news agency.
The authorities have requested that they ask the hotels to offer a 50% discount until restrictions are lifted.
Sanya is not the only city that has gone into lockdown in recent months.
image source, Getty Images
Shanghai was in lockdown for more than two months.
About a million people in a suburb of Wuhanthe city in central China where covid-19 was first recorded, faced new restrictions last month after four asymptomatic cases were confirmed.
Meanwhile, in June, the 25 million Shanghai residents they finally came out of a strict two-month lockdown.
The important financial hub of the country had been struggling against a wave of new coronavirus infections for more than a month as authorities decided to impose a harsh lockdown.
The measure was taken after the cases rose to more than 13,000 per day, despite the fact that compared to other international situations, the figures were not so high.
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