China urges citizens to stay home for National Day holidays
China is urging people not to travel during next month’s National Day holidays to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
China is urging people not to travel during next month’s National Day holidays to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
The country’s health authority has encouraged people not to leave their cities for the week of holidays following 1 October.
Wu Liangyou, an official at the National Health Commission, urged people to stay put due to the risk from the COVID-19 virus.
People in China often travel both abroad and domestically during the week-long holiday.
The country has been fighting to contain the highly transmissible Omicron variant by imposing various lockdowns.
Shanghai was locked down in April and May, while other big cities such as Xian and Shenzhen have also endured lockdowns and restrictions.
In the run-up to the National Day holidays, more cities have been urging residents to avoid non-essential trips due to coronavirus outbreaks, which have been reported in every region and province in recent weeks.
Read more: Tens of thousands stuck in ‘China’s Hawaii’ after COVID lockdown imposed
The Chinese city of Chengdu extended a lockdown for a majority of its more than 21 million residents on Thursday.
Nationwide, China found 1,439 new infections on Wednesday, the National Health Commission said.
There were no new deaths, the same as the day earlier, which leaves the overall death toll at 5,226.
The nation’s National Day holiday last year saw decreased travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as more people stayed home instead of travelling.
It was a marked difference from 2020’s National Day holiday, which came at a time when coronavirus cases were ebbing.
