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Lunar New Year reunions in limbo for China’s migrant workers as nation races to curb Covid-19
- Travellers left confused and upset by lack of clarity on varying regional measures as parts of nation battle Delta and Omicron variants
- Entry rules differ in the level of strictness, and are subject to rapid changes as local authorities implement zero-Covid policy
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When the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou detected a Covid-19 case a few days back, it did not worry public relations expert Liu Ling in the least.
After all, authorities had immediately sprung into action for what had been a well-practised routine in cities across China the past two years – track and trace every close contact of each new case, and roll out mass nucleic acid tests.
It was not until Liu looked up official travel policies that grim realisation struck: she would not be able to go back home for the Lunar New Year starting February 1.
02:05
2 Omicron cases spark citywide testing in Chinese city of Tianjin near Beijing
2 Omicron cases spark citywide testing in Chinese city of Tianjin near Beijing
Her hometown of Wuhan in central China had included her neighbourhood in Hangzhou on an alert list, she found, requiring anyone returning from there to quarantine for two weeks.
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Also on the list were other areas where outbreaks had occurred since December, including parts of the cities of Xian and Tianjin, as well as Henan province.
This came as a shock, as Liu had not experienced any restrictions on her daily life in Hangzhou.
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“My roommate even ate out and went shopping as usual,” she said. “But Wuhan is strict.”
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