China begins Golden Week holiday amid int’l travel restrictions

Beijing, Oct 1 (EFE) .- China began its Golden Week national holiday Friday to mark the anniversary of the nation’s founding in 1949, as vacationers looked to travel domestically amid the country’s continued border closures.

Chinese President Xi Jinping participated Thursday in a tribute act to those fallen in Tiananmen Square in Beijing as the State Council held a reception on the occasion of the anniversary attended by 500 guests, including diplomats from other countries.

These dates are some of the most popular for tourism in the country, but this year, like the last, the vast majority of holidaymakers will have to settle for traveling within China given the strict entry restrictions to the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since March 2020, the country has required negative PCR and antibody tests from passengers entering China before boarding, after which they must undergo a two-week quarantine period in a hotel at their own expense.

Chinese authorities have stopped issuing passports except in urgent cases, banning citizens who do not already have one from leaving the country.

According to online travel agency Tongcheng, 650 million trips are expected in China this week, representing 80 percent of movements recorded during the holiday in 2019, prior to the pandemic.

According to the country’s National Health Commission, there is currently only one coronavirus outbreak, limited to Harbin, capital of the northern Heilongjiang province, which yesterday detected 10 positive cases of the virus. EFE

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