BEIJING (AP) — Hairstylist Wang Lidan is taking an emotional Lunar New Year trip from Beijing to her hometown in northeast China — her first in three years after the government lifted its strict “zero-COVID” policy. which kept millions at home and sparked protests.
The easing of restrictions has sparked a wave of pent-up travel desires, particularly around China’s busiest time for family reunions. Called Spring Festival in China, it is perhaps the only time of year when urban workers return to their hometowns.
The Chinese government expects more than 2.1 billion trips to be made during a 40-day travel period around New Year’s Day, which falls on Sunday.
“The restrictions are lifted, which relaxed me. So I think it’s time to go home,” Wang said before heading to Beijing Railway Station for a trip to Heilongjiang Province.
In December, China abruptly abandoned near-daily coronavirus testing and QR code monitoring of residents after public frustration boiled over into protests in Shanghai and other cities. This month it removed most of the remaining restrictions, including the request that overseas travelers must go into lengthy and costly quarantine.
Many local governments had also imposed their own quarantines on travelers from outside the region, and these were the ones that Wang said dissuaded her from leaving Beijing.
“If there was an epidemic in Beijing, I would have to be quarantined in my hometown. And when I come back to Beijing, I will be quarantined again,” she said.
“I would miss the Spring Festival and delay my return to work if I was quarantined twice. So embarrassing!”
Hu Jinyuan, from the eastern province of Shandon, had managed to return home every year despite the hassle. He says he plans to continue regular COVID-19 testing and other safety measures as infections rise and patients flood hospitals after restrictions are lifted.
“I do nucleic acid tests from time to time. When I arrive in my hometown, I will surely take a test as a means of self-protection. Otherwise, I won’t know if I’m infected. If I get infected, I will just isolate myself at home,” Hu said.
Wang Jingli said he decided to work during the holidays because his company would triple his overtime pay. With COVID-19 restrictions lifted, his children and wife will visit him in Beijing from their hometown in Henan Province.
“With the reopening, everyone is very happy for the Spring Festival because we can reunite with our families. But because of my job, I will spend my Spring Festival here in Beijing.
While the Lunar New Year has also become a popular time to travel abroad, airlines are still only gradually restarting international flights and government departments are just beginning to issue or renew travel documents.
Many countries have imposed testing requirements on travelers from China which the Foreign Office has protested against, and concerns remain about the spread of the virus in China since the lifting of containment measures.
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Associated Press video producer Olivia Zhang contributed to this report.
The Associated Press
