07.01.2023 – With the variety of COVID-19 cases already rising in China, tens of millions of persons are travelling home to go to relatives for the Chinese New Year celebrations that began on Saturday.
China's Ministry of Transport on Friday forecast that greater than 2 billion passengers will travel throughout the 40-day holiday period, up 99.5% from last 12 months and 70.3% of travel numbers from 2019, before the pandemic. Reuters reported.
People stayed at home for the past three years because the federal government pursued a “zero COVID” policy that included many travel restrictions. This policy hurt the economy and led to widespread discontent among the many population. The government relaxed these restrictions late last 12 months, which has already led to an increase in cases and a strain on the health system.
An extra increase in travel-related cases could put further strain on the health system, especially in rural areas with few hospitals and health centers, officials predicted.
“What worries us most is that after three years, everyone will finally be able to go home for the New Year to visit relatives,” said Jiao Yahui, an official with China's National Health Commission, in response to The New York Times“Dealing with the peak of infections in huge rural areas has become a huge challenge.”
Reuters reported that the Chinese government is currently opening more clinics in rural areas and giving priority to high-risk patients, especially elderly individuals with pre-existing medical conditions, in order that they could be quickly transferred from villages to hospitals.
After years of advising people to remain at home, China is now opening up travel options.
On Sunday, China reopened its border with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which Reuters said will result in a rush of travelers. At the tip of December, China announced it could lift the quarantine requirement for travelers from other countries.
The World Health Organization says China is underestimating the severity of the present outbreak. Reuters reported. China has been reporting five or fewer COVID deaths a day since lifting its “zero COVID” policy, but many funeral homes and hospitals say they're overwhelmed, in response to Reuters. International health experts predict at the very least 1 million COVID-related deaths in China this 12 months.