BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s tourism-dependent island of Hainan extended lockdown measures to new areas on Monday, state media said, after registering very few cases over the past two years compared to other parts of the country.
The province, located in the South China Sea, which recorded only two symptomatic local cases of coronavirus last year, reported more than 1,400 infections from mainland China this month, including 982 symptomatic.
This is the highest number of cases in the province since the virus was first reported in China in late 2019 — although the figure is low by global standards.
The sharp rise in cases comes amid renewed interest in tourism after China eased restrictions slightly.
However, the restrictions imposed in Hainan, in line with China’s “zero COVID” policy, reflect the continued uncertainty around travel.
The provincial capital, Haikou, which has a population of about 2.9 million, and two smaller cities, Ledong and Chengmai, locked down their residents on Monday, according to state media.
Outings are only allowed when necessary, such as to get tested, shop or perform essential work tasks. Public transport has also been suspended.
These measures will remain in place for varying periods of time, according to state media.
Around 25,000 tourists were stranded in Sanya, Hainan’s city hardest hit by the outbreak and the island’s main tourist hub, on Sunday, sparking frustration despite news that tourists could leave after COVID-19 testing.
(Reporting Roxanne Liu, Stella Qiu, Jason Xue, Ryan Woo and Shanghai editorial staff; French version Dina Kartit, editing by Kate Entringer)