In China, 80,000 tourists stranded on an island

VCG / Getty Images

On the island of Hainan, at the southern end of China, tens of thousands of tourists are stranded due to multiple Covid contaminations.

–

CORONAVIRUS – A ruined end to the holiday. More than 80,000 tourists are stuck on Hainan Island in southern China after Covid cases were detected that prompted authorities to cancel all flights and trains locally.

This Sunday August 7, 483 cases of coronavirus were reported in the seaside city of Sanya, which has more than one million inhabitants, on this island nicknamed “Chinese Hawaii”. All flights from Sanya, a popular place for surfers in particular, were canceled over the weekend, and the sale of train tickets was suspended.

Five negative tests required to leave

In line with the Chinese regime’s “zero Covid” policy, tourists wishing to leave must have had five negative PCR tests in the past seven days, health authorities said.

Hotels in the city must offer their customers a 50% discount until travel restrictions are lifted, a representative of the authorities said during a press briefing on Saturday.

In Sanya, public entertainment venues like spas, karaoke bars and bars have been closed since last week, but essential services like supermarkets and pharmacies remain open.

China is the only major economy that continues to apply this “zero Covid” strategy, imposing confinements and long quarantines that penalize local tourism. The country’s borders have been almost completely closed since the beginning of 2020, preventing the entry of foreign visitors.

See also on le HuffPost : The reintegration of caregivers not vaccinated against Covid is controversial in the Assembly