Forced staycation

29 January 2021 By Yawen Chen Follow @ywchen1

Fresh Wuhan-style lockdowns have been imposed ahead of the Lunar New Year break, a week-long spending boom. Less travel may reduce disruption for factory owners but it’s a blow for already weak consumption. A subdued getaway will exacerbate the imbalances of China’s recovery.

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A growing number of provinces and some districts of Beijing and Shanghai have introduced strict social distancing rules or lockdowns to fight fresh virus outbreaks ahead of China's Lunar New Year. The country’s annual week-long holiday will start on Feb. 11.

China's National Health Commission said on Jan. 20 that people returning to the countryside will be required to go through 14 days of health monitoring on arrival, and must have been tested negative for Covid-19 within seven days before their travel date. Those in areas considered “low risk” are also advised to stay home and avoid dining out, an official at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The number of passenger trips during the upcoming travel rush is expected to be up 10% from the low base of 2020, but down 40% from 2019’s figure, a transport ministry official said at a press briefing on Jan. 20.

China Railway has reported a nearly 60% drop year-on-year in train ticket bookings for the holiday period, and revised its forecast for railway trips down to 296 million. The operator previously expected 407 million railway passenger trips.

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