Europe 1 with AFP 12:33 p.m., August 07, 2022
483 cases of Covid, detected in the seaside resort of Sanya, are currently stranding 80,000 tourists on the island of Hainan in southern China.
All flights and trains have been cancelled.
Hotels in the city are to offer guests a 50% discount until travel restrictions are lifted.
More than 80,000 tourists are stuck on Hainan Island in southern China after Covid cases were detected that prompted authorities to cancel all flights and trains locally.
On Sunday, 483 cases of coronavirus were reported in the resort city of Sanya, which has more than a million inhabitants, on the island of Hainan, nicknamed "Chinese Hawaii".
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All flights from Sanya, a popular place for surfers in particular, were canceled over the weekend, and the sale of train tickets was suspended.
Tourists wishing to leave must present five negative PCR tests in the past seven days, health authorities said.
A zero Covid strategy
Hotels in the city must offer their customers a 50% discount until travel restrictions are lifted, a representative of the authorities said during a press briefing on Saturday.
In Sanya, public entertainment venues like spas, karaoke bars and bars have been closed since last week, but essential services like supermarkets and pharmacies remain open.
China is the only major economy that continues to apply a zero Covid strategy, imposing lockdowns and long quarantines that penalize local tourism.
The country's borders have been almost completely closed since the beginning of 2020, preventing the entry of foreign visitors.