Some 80,000 tourists have been stranded in Sanya, the quintessential vacation destination in China during these two and a half years of the pandemic. The coastal city, located on the southern tip of the island of Hainan, has become the new focus of covid-19 infections within the Asian giant. Despite the fact that the city had managed to keep the infection counter practically at zero since the virus was detected, between August 1 and 8 the city registered more than 1,200 new cases, an unacceptable figure under the zero covid policy. which the Government continues to cling to. Given this situation, the confinement of this town of almost one million inhabitants was decreed over the weekend, which was extended on Monday to nine other areas of the island, affecting a total of seven million people. The health authorities have reported that in order to leave the island province it is necessary to present five negative PCR tests carried out within a week.
“When my mini-vacation was over, they canceled my flight,” says Renato Parraguez, a Chilean living in Beijing, from Sanya. “We went from 13 cases when I arrived, to 500 in two days,” he explains by phone. “I have to be locked in my hotel for seven days. They have blocked everything, it is impossible to leave Hainan,” he says.
China continues to bet on the zero tolerance strategy against covid-19, despite the strong impact it has had on its economy, especially after the draconian closure of Shanghai in the spring for two months. In addition to isolation and mass testing, the country keeps its borders practically closed and it is mandatory to spend at least seven days in a hotel room on arrival from abroad.
Given the impossibility of traveling to the paradisiacal beaches of Southeast Asia, the southern island of Hainan (located off the coast of Canton) has been the preferred place for Chinese residents to make a getaway since the outbreak of the pandemic, due to its mild tropical climate, its options for outdoor activities – from surfing to hiking – and its dozens of resorts deluxe. The place has experienced boom tourism in recent months, especially among foreigners, since it is very difficult to travel to other countries.
The province, the smallest in the entire nation, only registered two asymptomatic cases of covid-19 last year. That good management, however, has been cut short this August. According to figures provided by the National Health Commission, between the 1st and 8th of this month, Hainan has recorded 2,079 infections. The vast majority of patients have symptoms and are in Sanya.
On Saturday, the Sanya authorities canceled all flights and trains in the city and decreed a “temporary static management”, which means the suspension of public transport services, the closure of non-essential businesses and the confinement of residential complexes. . The city’s deputy mayor, He Shigang, told state television CCTV in an interview that around 80,000 tourists were there on vacation when the lockdown was announced, and 40% of them are trapped in their hotels. Sanya International Airport has confirmed this Tuesday that all flights to and from the metropolis continue to be canceled and that it is not known when they will resume.
“We understand the inconvenience caused to travelers and ask for understanding and support,” said Ye Kaizhong, deputy secretary of the Sanya municipal government, at a press conference on Sunday. Even though authorities have promised to help stranded visitors with room costs, many are struggling to make ends meet. According to the official announcement, hotels will be required to offer their customers a 50% price reduction until the restrictions are lifted.
hotel price rise
However, Parraguez considers that there is a trick: “Prices have varied between 400 and 700 euros per night.” “Many customers are now paying much more than during their stay, because they originally booked the room with a deal,” he says. In his case, the isolation is being bearable because the hotel he is in is far from the source of contagion and has become what he calls a “bubble”: “I can still go to the beach inside of the perimeter of resort and access the hotel bar”.
Many of the foreigners trapped in Sanya are criticizing the lack of information on social media. Health authorities have announced that it will be mandatory to submit five negative PCR tests within seven days to leave Hainan, but there is no evidence that canceled flights will resume by the end of this week. It is estimated that this latest closure affects a total of seven million people. The provincial capital, Haikou, with almost three million inhabitants, as well as eight other regions of the island, asked their residents on Monday not to leave their homes unless strictly necessary.
Health officials have reported that this latest outbreak has been caused by the BA.5.1.3 subvariant of omicron. This is the first time that this mutation has been detected within the borders of the Asian giant. Local media blame “an illegal fishing boat from Vietnam” for the increase in cases, since the first infected patient is a fish seller who “assumes he was infected while trading with foreign fishermen on the high seas.”
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