part of 80,000 tourists stuck on Hainan Island allowed to leave, conditional on two negative tests

Some of the approximately 80,000 tourists stranded on the tropical island of Hainan in southern China due to an outbreak of Covid will be able to leave in the coming days, authorities announced on Tuesday August 9. Others will still have to wait. “Tourists on package tours who are in areas where there have been no cases… will be allowed to leave after having had two negative tests within 48 hours,” specify the local health authorities.

Travelers in areas with a low number of cases will be able to leave the island if they have tested negative three times in 72 hours and show no symptoms. But those in areas with more cases will have to wait for the health situation to improve. Tourists were initially required to present five negative PCR tests in the last seven days.

Sanya hotels must cut prices by 50% until restrictions are lifted, authorities said on Saturday. Bars, karaoke, spas and other public places of entertainment have been closed since early August, but essential services like supermarkets and pharmacies remain open.

Between August 1 and August 9, more than 1,500 people have tested positive in the seaside city of Sanya, according to official figures. TAll flights departing from the island nicknamed “Chinese Hawaii” were subsequently canceled. China is the only major economy that continues to apply a zero Covid strategy, imposing lockdowns and long quarantines that penalize local tourism.