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China's annual Spring Festival travel season started on Thursday with lowered passenger flow expectations but tightened pandemic containment measures to curb the resurgence of the disease in some parts of the country.
The Spring Festival travel rush, known as the world's largest annual human migration, lasts 40 days from January 28 to March 8 this year.
Many are staying put
The 40-day travel peak is expected to see around 1.7 billion passenger trips, up about 10 percent year on year, but more than 40 percent lower than that of 2019, according to the Ministry of Transport.
To curb the spread of the coronavirus during the holiday period, China has issued a plan to reduce mass gatherings and strengthen pandemic control, with measures such as advocating off-peak travel and encouraging people to stay put during the holiday.
For example, people residing in high-risk areas or those who have traveled to such areas within 14 days are asked not to leave where they are. People living in medium-risk areas or those who have traveled to such areas within 14 days are advised not to travel. Meanwhile, people from low-risk areas are required to present negative nucleic acid tests when traveling. Upon arrival, they are subject to local government health guidelines.
In light of these measures urging people to cancel unnecessary trips, China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., the national railway operator, has lowered its estimate of railway passenger trips from 407 million to 296 million for the period.
Passengers walk to board their train at the Beijing Railway Station in Beijing, January 28, 2021. /Xinhua
Better be safe than sorry
To ensure safe travel, transportation authorities in the country shall be paying high attention to coronavirus prevention measures.
Travelers have been advised to wear masks, get their negative nucleic acid test results and health codes ready and avoid taking food and drinks on public transportation.
While stressing the necessity of disinfection on facilities including trains, staircases, and check-ins, the train attendants are required to carry handheld thermometers to check passengers' temperature.
Besides, on each train, some seats or carriages have been set aside for suspected COVID-19 patients. Such passengers will be transferred to public healthcare professionals at the next stop.
Keeping the authorities informed
While masks and negative nucleic acid test results are a must-have, passengers also have to inform relevant authorities in their hometowns days before they begin their trip home.
For example, people born in Shandong have to report the information, including their arrival time, their transportation means, and their health conditions, to relevant authorities at their hometowns three days before their arrival.
Zheng Zhou, a migrant worker from Lianyungang City in east China's Jiangsu Province, told CGTN that the head of his village knew he would return home when he booked tickets from Israel to Shanghai.
As a construction worker, Zheng spent two years in Israel without going home.
On his train from Shanghai to Lianyungang, Zheng could not hide his excitement though he carried out at least three rounds of nucleic acid tests in Israel and Shanghai.
A staff member sprays disinfectant at the Beijing Railway Station in Beijing, January 27, 2021. /Xinhua
Facilitation at its best
Moreover, the Civil Aviation Administration of China has promised refunds or trip rescheduling for passengers whose flight dates are between January 28 and March 8. At the same time, airport authorities in China have also rolled up their sleeves to contain any possible spread of the disease.
Besides AI customer service, Beijing Capital International Airport was reported to upgrade its inquiry equipment with a mask recognition function, allowing passengers to use it without removing their masks.
Furthermore, passenger load is limited in buses around the country. For example, vehicles with at least 10 seats have set aside a temporary space if a passenger is reported to have a fever.
Buying a ticket was never easier
One interesting change that people are welcoming this year is that it's not that hard to buy a train ticket due to reduced travel.
In past years, reports showed that the train tickets were sold out immediately after the time of sale. This time, people are happy to find it's easy to get a ticket.
"There are enough train tickets for us to buy," a vocational school teacher told CGTN.
The teacher was planning to accompany her students on the train from east China's Shanghai Municipality to Lianyungang City in east China's Jiangsu Province on Thursday.
Besides the policy of staying put during the holiday, other travel choices, including self-driving and car-pooling, also explain why it's easier to get a train ticket during this Spring Festival travel rush.
(CGTN's Xu Mengqi and Li Jianhua contributed to the story)
