Coronavirus: China steps up government planning to limit Lunar New Year travel

Name: Thailand, Japan and China face new coronavirus outbreaks
Uploaded: 2021-01-12T00:00:14.000Z
Duration: 3 min 6 s
Description: Thailand, Japan and China face new coronavirus outbreaks

Transport ministry establishes a pandemic prevention working group, and says it is necessary to stagger journeys and monitor passenger flow

Authorities have already encouraged people not to travel to visit relatives, before the customary annual migration

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Lunar New Year involves one of the biggest annual movements of people, with transport authorities expecting over 400 million train journeys to be made. Photo: DPA

Rachel Zhang

Published: 8:00am, 12 Jan 2021Updated: 9:46am, 12 Jan 2021

China has set up a high-level government working group to oversee emergency planning as it tries to discourage large crowds from travelling during the Spring Festival, amid its highest daily Covid-19 case numbers since July.

Authorities have stressed the importance of passenger flow analysis during the festival and encouraged schools and companies to stagger holidays.

The ministry of transport said it had set up a pandemic prevention working group under the State Council, China’s cabinet, and held its first meeting on Sunday.

Mass migration across China normally occurs during Lunar New Year, as people travel to join family gatherings. The holiday this year falls on February 12, and about 407 million train journeys are expected to be taken between January 28 and March 8, according to China’s railway authority.

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Thailand, Japan and China face new coronavirus outbreaks

The working group consists of 15 member units, including the ministry of public security, the national railway administration and the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Li Xiaopeng, the transport minister, is to lead it.