China kicked off its largest annual travel season on January 28 ahead of the Spring Festival with far fewer passenger trips expected amid the Covid-19 epidemic. According to the Ministry of Transport, the 40-day peak travel season is expected to see around 1.7 billion passenger trips, 40 percent lower than that of 2019. Governments have encouraged employees to stay where they habitually reside and work for the Spring Festival, which falls in mid-February, to reduce flows and curb the spread of the epidemic. Many places rolled out subsidies to those who decided to stay put. Some authorities released stringent rules, requiring travelers to have a nucleic acid test and quarantine if they come from a high-risk area. China’s epidemic control is expected to yield a decisive success if there is no outbreak of confirmed cases during the holiday, and mass vaccination is available in the spring.
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