Voice of America
08 Aug 2022, 14:06 GMT+10
BEIJING/SHANGHAI - China's Hainan, an island province dependent on tourism, locked down more areas on Monday, state media reported, as it battles its worst COVID-19 outbreak after seeing very few cases the past two years compared with many other regions in the country.
The island in the South China Sea, which recorded just two local symptomatic COVID cases last year, has reported more than 1,400 domestically transmitted infections this month, including 982 symptomatic ones. Although that is small by global standards, it is the province's biggest outbreak since the virus was first reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.
The sharp increase in cases comes amid a pick-up in interest in tourism after China slightly eased curbs aimed at domestic travel, accounting for the shorter incubation period of the Omicron variant, which facilitates a shorter quarantine time.
However, the curbs in Hainan, in line with China's 'dynamic COVID-zero' policy that aims to stamp out outbreaks as soon as possible, point to persistent uncertainty shrouding travel. That may further dampen confidence in the tourism and hospitality sectors, which are particularly vulnerable to COVID restrictions.
The provincial capital city of Haikou, with about 2.9 million residents, and two smaller towns, Ledong and Chengmai, locked down its residents on Monday, according to state media reports.
At least eight cities and towns, with a combined population of about 7 million, said their residents must not leave where they live except for necessary reasons such as COVID tests, grocery shopping or essential job roles. They also suspended public transport services.
The measures will stay in place for varying periods, with the shortest scheduled for a few hours, state media reports show.
About 25,000 tourists were stranded in Sanya, the hardest-hit city in Hainan's outbreak and the island's key tourist hub, as of Sunday. Although cities have said tourists can leave after COVID tests, many were frustrated about the disruption.
In Qionghai city, scheduled to be locked down for three days, all flights at Qionghai Boao Airport scheduled for Monday were cancelled because of 'public security reasons.'
Shares fall
Chinese stocks in tourism, transport, and consumer staples all retreated on
Monday morning, with China Tourism Group Duty Free Corp down about 5% after Sanya began closing duty-free malls on Aug. 5.
The lockdowns in several cities on the tropical island dashed hopes for a quick rebound for the country's ailing aviation sector, which had counted on a summer travel boom to help trim record losses.
Hainan Airlines fell 1.5% on Monday morning, hovering around their lowest level since February last year, when the airline was in the midst of a restructuring to settle a multi-year liquidity crisis.
Nationwide, China reported 807 locally transmitted COVID infections for Aug. 7, of which were 324 symptomatic and 483 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said.
There were no new deaths, keeping the nation's fatalities unchanged at 5,226.
As of Sunday, mainland China had confirmed 231,266 cases with symptoms, including both local patients and symptomatic international travelers.
China's capital, Beijing, reported two new local symptomatic cases for Aug. 7, while Shanghai and the southern technology hub of Shenzhen reported no new local cases.
Get a daily dose of Tennis Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Tennis Times.
More Information(Photo credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images) The Detroit Pistons saw their longest winning streak in 17 years end on Friday night. They...
(Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images) The St. Louis Blues are finally seeing a payoff for their progress made since Jim Montgomery...
(Photo credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images) Donovan Mitchell scored 41 points, including 26 in the second half, as the visiting...
(250301) -- ACAPULCO, March 1, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Nakashima Brandon of the United States hits a return during the singles semifinal match...
(Photo credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images) The Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets meet Saturday bearing the load of disappointing...
New Delhi [India], March 1 (ANI): Elevating the spirit of sports in the national capital, Indian sport shooter Deepak Kumar and TV...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Dublin has unveiled a new 5.5 million euro cycle track along the south quays, enhancing safety and accessibility for...
DUBAI, UAE - Fuelre4m has announced a new partnership with one of the UAE's largest yacht operators aimed at improving fuel efficiency...
CAIRO — Observant Muslims the world over will soon be united in a ritual of daily fasting from dawn to sunset as the Islamic holy...
BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- A selection of the best press photos from Xinhua. A drone photo taken on Feb. 27, 2025 shows the construction...
BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- In a significant move to open its telecommunication sector further, China has approved 13 foreign-invested...
(Photo credit: Jeff Romance / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Jake Knapp followed his opening-round 59 with a far more modest,...