The southern Chinese resort city of Sanya imposed a lockdown on Saturday and restricted transport links to try to stem a COVID-19 outbreak that comes as some 80,000 visitors were enjoying its beaches at peak season. The curbs came into force at 6 a.m. (2200 GMT) after authorities said the COVID situation was "very severe" and people's movements were being restricted. Authorities did not say when the measures might be lifted but said tourists wanting to leave the city, which is on Hainan island, would have to show five negative PCR tests over seven days. FILE PHOTO: Vendors selling swimming accessories walk on Sanya Bay beach in Sanya, Hainan province, China November 26, 2020. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang "We urge the general public and tourists to understand and give their support," a...
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Millions of domestic tourists are descending on China’s southernmost island province of Hainan, presenting a surreal contrast with grim hospital scenes, shuttered restaurants and stifling home quarantine elsewhere in a virus-ravaged world. Known at home as the “Hawaii of China”, the island, about the size of Taiwan, has been free of coronavirus for six months, drawing eager shoppers to duty-free malls, couples seeking a sub-tropical backdrop for wedding pictures, and surfers just looking to “breathe freely”. October arrivals of 9.6 million, according to official data, exceeded the year-earlier figure, before the pandemic struck, by 3.1%, although foreign visitors slumped 87%. That was a far cry from February, when arrivals had dropped almost 90%. A couple poses for pictures durin...
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