About 80,000 tourists are stranded in the southern Chinese seaside resort of Sanya after authorities declared it a COVID-19 hotspot and imposed a lockdown
BEIJING — About 80,000 tourists are stranded in the southern Chinese beach resort of Sanya after authorities declared it a COVID-19 hotspot and imposed a lockdown.
The restrictions came into force on Saturday morning as authorities tried to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the city on the tropical island of Hainan. There were 229 confirmed cases on Friday and another 129 on Saturday.
China’s ruling Communist Party has held firm to a “zero COVID” approach, which is increasingly at odds with the rest of the world. A recent outbreak in Shanghai spread so widely that authorities shut down the entire city, China’s largest, for two months, trapping millions of people and dealing a blow to the national economy.
Railway authorities banned all ticket sales in Sanya, and all flights were also canceled on Saturday.
Tourists who want to leave Sanya must test negative for the coronavirus in five PCR tests in seven days, authorities said.
Meanwhile, hotels will offer guests a 50 percent discount during the lockdown period, a city official said during a news briefing.
The lockdown comes during the peak tourist season in Sanya, which is famous for its resorts and beaches.
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