the increasingly severe zero Covid policy, tourists confined to Hainan Island

In China, the zero Covid policy is still very strict. For almost three weeks, Monday August 22, tens of thousands of tourists have been stranded in Hainan, the island in the south of the country and the latest Covid focus to date, with a few hundred cases per day. “The island is a popular tourist destination for Chinese residents since Covid obliges, the country’s borders have been closed for more than two years”Explain France Télévisions Asie journalist Lou Kisiela, for the 8 Hours of France 2.

“Hainan has been transformed into a giant isolation center for almost three weeks. Little by little, the flights to return to the mainland are being organized. It’s an obstacle course: even after dozens of PCR tests, the departure is never guaranteed”, continues Lou Kisiela. During the weekend, 200 passengers were even locked up overnight in a plane after the detection of a few contact cases on board.