China’s COVID holiday boom is imminent as more people move to their hometowns from megacities

Martin Quin Pollard, Bernard Orr

BEIJING (Reuters – On Monday, thousands of people packed with luggage rushed to airports and railway stations in China’s megacities. They were returning home for holiday. Experts fear that this could increase the risk of a COVID-19 epidemic that has already claimed many lives.

China’s three-year-old anti-virus control regime was so restrictive and oppressive that it ended in December. The virus was allowed to run free through its population of 1.4 billion people.

Authorities said Saturday that almost 60,000 people with COVID were dead in hospitals between December 8 and January 12, an increase of nearly 100,000 compared to previous figures, which had been criticised for not reflecting the severity or scale of the disease.

One health expert said that these numbers do not include the deaths of many people living at home, especially those in rural areas with poorer medical systems. Experts predict that the disease will kill more than 1 million Chinese this year.

State media was filled with stories about rural hospitals and clinics increasing their supplies of drugs, and equipment, ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays.

Red Star News reported that the peak of COVID infected villagers has passed but that the Spring Festival was approaching and that there were still some villagers at risk, particularly the elderly.

The doctor stated, “If there were more anti-viral drugs and other drugs, I would feel more confident.”

China’s National Health Commission stated that in addition to oxygen supplies and fever drugs, it would also equip all village clinics with pulse oximeters. This fingertip device was commonly used during the pandemic for quick oxygen level checks.

TRAVEL RUSH

According to Reuters witnesses, Beijing’s main rail station was overflowing with travelers leaving the capital in recent weeks.

China’s biggest city Shanghai is home to temporary night trains. They are being added to cater to travellers who want to travel to eastern Anhui Province.

In Macau, where the majority of the daily arrivals are from gambling, 55,000 people arrived on Saturday. This was the highest number of daily arrivals since the pandemic.

According to Hong Kong’s government, it plans to increase the number of people who are able to cross designated land borders to the mainland. This will take the total to 65,000 per hour from 50,000 people between Jan. 18-21.

China’s transport ministry said that it expects more then 2 billion trips to China in the weeks surrounding the holidays.

China’s tourism boom has raised hopes of a rebound in China’s second-largest country. The economy is currently experiencing its lowest growth rates for nearly 50 years.

Those hopes lifted Asian equity markets on Monday, adding 4.2% to last week’s gains.

China’s blue-chip index rose 0.6% Monday. Global oil prices were also supported by expectations of a recovery from China, the top importer in the world.

Analysts say that although the Chinese data on economic growth and retail sales will be disappointing this week, markets will look beyond that to see how China’s reopening might boost global growth.

(Reporting from Martin Pollard, Bernard Orr, and the Beijing newsroom. Writing by John Geddie. Editing by Gerry Doyle.