China:Covid lockdown strands 80,000 tourists

In China, more than 80,000 tourists have been left stranded in a popular resort after a coronavirus outbreak sparked a lockdown. Authorities cancelled all flights and trains from Sanya, known as "China's Hawaii", on Saturday, a day after 263 positive cases were confirmed. Travellers must now present five negative PCR tests over seven days before being allowed to leave.  All those currently in Sanya as well as people who have been to the city since July 23 were not allowed to leave Hainan province after 6pm local time on Saturday, provincial authorities said. Authorities in Sanya acknowledged the inconvenience to tourists and pledged during a press conference to do their best to solve issues that arise, including streamlining travel booking cancellations and offering half-price discounts on hotel stays for stranded tourists in Sanya.

Another city in Hainan, Danzhou, announced partial lockdown for its roughly 1 million residents on Saturday afternoon, according to an official bulletin, while authorities in Qionghai city on Sunday announced a raft of measures, closing most non-essential businesses and ordering its half a million residents to stay home unless necessary, effective that morning, state broadcaster CCTV reported.  China is the only major economy to still follow a "zero Covid" policy. The country has recorded fewer than 15,000 deaths since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University. However, there have been concerns about the impact of the strict rules, including mass testing and local lockdowns, on the economy.  The restrictions on Sanya, a city on southern Hainan Island and a popular surfing destination, come during the peak tourist season.