Enlarge image
Next, please: only those who can show five negative test results over a period of seven days are allowed to leave Hainan Island
Photo: STR/AFP
The Chinese government has imposed further lockdowns on the tropical island of Hainan.
This was announced by state media on Monday.
The capital Haikou is also one of the affected cities.
In total, there should be at least eight local lockdowns, some of which should only last a few hours, others several days.
Previously, the guests and visitors of the city of Sanya had already been instructed to stay at home.
With flights, trains and other public transport halted, tens of thousands of Chinese tourists are now stuck locally.
Since the beginning of the month, more than 1,400 infections have been detected on the southern Chinese island.
The outbreak is the largest since the pandemic began.
Last year, the island reported only two local corona cases.
Some hotels are said to have doubled their prices
The sharp rise hits the country amid a surge in tourism.
China had previously eased restrictions on domestic travel slightly.
In Sanya alone, at least 25,000 tourists are now stuck in hotels, while about 50,000 others are staying in their vacation apartments.
Only those who can show five negative test results over a period of seven days are allowed to leave the island.
Chinese authorities ordered hotel prices for stranded tourists to be halved.
The party-affiliated newspaper "Global Times" reported, however, of "individual cases" where hotels refused the price reduction or had doubled the price without further ado.
Officials wanted to take care of the reported problems, it said.
Under the government of Xi Jinping, China is still pursuing a strict zero-Covid strategy.
Individual infections are responded to with curfews, mass testing and other restrictions.
However, the measures are a burden for the second largest economy, which is only growing much more slowly.
Shares in local carrier Hainan Airlines fell 1.5 percent Monday morning and are now at their lowest level since February last year.
swe/dpa/Reuters
