Sanya is a city on the southern end of China’s Hainan Island. It has several large bays fringed with upscale hotels, while not far out to sea islands with coral reefs beckon. Some 80,000 tourists were catching suntans, or scuba diving when an outbreak of COVID struck. China imposed lock down measures. COVID has trapped 80,000 tourists in China.
COVID Lock Down Traps 80,000 Tourists in China
Sanya is not living up to its reputation as China’s Hawaii at the present moment. In fact, it’s a sobering reminder the pandemic is far from over. Public transport is in lock down there.
Stranded tourists must stay for seven days and clear five Covid-19 tests before leaving. The city deputy major told CNN Travel that all tourists in Sanya, plus any who visited since July 23, 2022 must remain in Hainan province.
This crisis comes at a bad time for China’s tourism still struggling to recover at the height of summer. The authorities cancelled 80% of outgoing flights on August 6, 2022. There are no trains running either.
Authorities Pledge to Do Whatever They Can
China’s rules for lock down are non-negotiable. However, Sanya authorities have promised to do whatever they can to lighten the load. They are simplifying booking cancellations, and offering half-price discounts on hotel stays for stranded tourists in Sanya.
The city has logged 827 new COVID-19 cases between August 1 and August 6, 2022. Of these, 240 are confirmed while 173 are asymptomatic. The city outbreak is currently the most severe in the Asian country. To put it in context, consider the entire nation had a total of 736 new confirmed and asymptomatic cases on August 6, 2022.
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