240 Million People on the Move... Concerns Over China-Originated COVID Resurgence

Lifting of Quarantine Measures Sparks 'Revenge Travel' Explosion During Labor Day Holiday
Record 20 Million Railway Passengers on First Day of Holiday
"New Infections Rising... Concerns of Second COVID-19 Wave"

Concerns over a resurgence of COVID-19 are growing as a massive population movement occurs during the Labor Day Golden Week holiday in China (April 29 to May 3).

According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 1st, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that on April 27, the number of positive COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests reached 6,752, nearly three times the 2,661 cases recorded a week earlier. The positivity rate among all PCR tests also rose significantly to 4.4%, compared to 1.7% a week prior.

On April 28, one day before the Chinese Labor Day holiday (April 29 to May 3), passengers are waiting to board trains at Shanghai Hongqiao Station. China State Railway Group forecasted that from April 27 to May 4, the number of railway passengers will reach 120 million over eight days, marking the largest scale ever.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

However, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention explained, "New infections are increasing in some regions, partly due to the waning of herd immunity," but added, "Most of the infected individuals are those who had not been previously infected or those with weakened immunity, so the likelihood of a large-scale outbreak in a short period is low."

Nevertheless, Zhang Wanhong, head of the Infectious Diseases Department at Huashan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University, stated, "Monitoring results show that most recent COVID-19 infections are secondary infections," and warned, "If the immunity of confirmed cases declines, a second wave of COVID-19 could emerge."

Experts have expressed concerns that the Labor Day holiday could act as a catalyst for further spread. This is because many Chinese people, freed from strict quarantine policies, are embarking on 'revenge travel' during the Golden Week holiday.

"240 million trips... Tourism revenue expected to reach 23 trillion won"

Tourists visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing
[Photo by Pengpai Capture·Yonhap News]

According to China State Railway Group, on the first day of the holiday, a record-breaking 19.661 million people used the railway, and it is expected that 18 million people will use the railway on the 30th as well. Bus ridership on the 30th also exceeded 32.5 million, more than double compared to the previous year. Chinese authorities predict that 240 million people will travel during this year’s Labor Day holiday period.

Since the start of the holiday, popular tourist destinations in China have been flooded with visitors. The Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan), the Qing Dynasty imperial garden, recorded 40,000 visitors on this day, reaching its daily admission limit and selling out tickets for the first time in 163 years. Shanghai Disneyland had already sold out tickets for May 1 and May 2 by April 30.

On Chinese social media platform Weibo, posts and photos showing overcrowded tourist spots are continuously being uploaded. Tickets for some famous tourist sites such as Beijing’s Mutianyu section of the Great Wall and Wuhan’s Yellow Crane Tower have also sold out.

The Chinese tourism industry expects this Labor Day holiday to be the largest in over four years. Tourism revenue is forecast to exceed 120 billion yuan (approximately 23 trillion won). The state-run Global Times reported, "As travel enthusiasm revives, China’s consumer market is experiencing a boom."

Additionally, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced that sales in major retail and food service sectors nationwide increased by 21.4% compared to the same period last year on the 29th. The online ticketing platform Maoyan reported that 7.26 million people visited cinemas on the same day, generating ticket sales revenue of 294 million yuan (approximately 56.9 billion won).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.