China locks up 80,000 tourists on island paradise and imposes exit checks

Beijing – around 80,000 tourists were left Stranded in the Chinese resort of Sanya After authorities declared it central Covid-19 and imprisonment.

The restrictions came into effect on Saturday as authorities try to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the tropical island city. Hainan. There were 229 confirmed cases as of Friday, and another 129 were reported this Saturday.

“We ask the public and tourists to understand and offer their support,” officials said in a statement on the city government’s WeChat account. The ruling Chinese Communist Party Unconditionally adheres to “Covid Zero” approach It is increasingly at odds with the rest of the world.

recently erupted Shanghai It spread so widely that authorities locked down the entire country’s largest city for two months, trapping millions of people and dealing a blow to the national economy.

Includes new action Ban on sale of train tickets and cancellation of all flights. Tourists intending to travel abroad must test negative for the virus out of five tests in seven days.

Micah Hostetter, a Shanghai-based business consultant who was due to leave Sunday after a one-week stay, reacted to the disappointment after experiencing a similar situation. “It’s a disaster! We don’t know how long we’re going to be here, and hopefully it won’t be long.”Hostetter said, He was jailed for more than two months in Shanghai at the beginning of the year.

Meanwhile, hotels will offer a 50% discount to guests during the lockdown, a city official told a news conference. The lockdown comes at the height of the tourist season in Sanya, famous for its beaches.

The city began imposing lockdown measures in some locations on Thursday. Many other outlets were closed on Friday, including its duty-free malls, popular with Chinese shoppers unable to travel abroad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNvU274g-4s

AP and ANSA agencies