Demand for flights on Chinese travel platform Trip.com ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday surged more than 600 percent this Wednesday after authorities announced the end of several preventative measures against Covid-19.
The platform had previously stated that it expected a 900% increase in demand for plane and train tickets over the holidays, according to local press, but was surprised by the publication, shortly afterwards, of the new guidelines for the prevention of epidemics by the Chinese State (Executive) Council.
Just two hours after the platform announced its plan for the holiday season, searches for airline tickets and hotel reservations increased by more than 600% compared to the day before.
Chinese New Year falls in the last week of January this year.
The main celebration of Chinese families, equivalent to Christmas in Western countries, traditionally records the largest internal migration in the world, with hundreds of millions of Chinese returning to their home countries. However, travel has been reduced in recent years due to the epidemic prevention measures in place in the country. These measures include a quarantine period for travelers from cities or counties with active outbreaks.
China will now allow some asymptomatically infected people with mild cases of covid-19, “who meet certain conditions”, to recover at home, rather than being isolated in designated facilities.
The measures also include reducing the frequency of PCR testing for the population, among other decisions signaling the end of the Covid-19 ‘zero case’ policy, which has been in place in the country since the start of the pandemic.
In recent days, the official press has begun minimizing the risks of the Ómicron variant of the novel coronavirus, through articles and interviews with experts.
The authorities have already stated that the “conditions” are met for the country to “adapt” its measures in this “new situation”, in which the virus causes fewer deaths, although they have also announced a plan to increase the vaccination of the elderly to accelerate , the most vulnerable, but also the most unwilling to be vaccinated, in the Asian country.
The policy change comes on the heels of recent protests in several Chinese cities against Covid-19’s “zero case” policy, which has spawned a succession of tragedies and abuses of power and kept the country’s borders closed for nearly three years.
The protests were sparked by a deadly fire at a building in the northwestern Chinese city of Urumqi. Protesters say nearby blockades, as part of epidemic prevention measures, have slowed access for the fire truck. Residents were also unable to escape from the building, the door of which was blocked.
Source: DN
