80,000 Tourists Stranded in Hainan as COVID-19 Sweeps China’s Resort Island

80,000 Tourists Stranded in Hainan as COVID-19 Sweeps China’s Resort Island
A medical worker looks on as residents and tourists line up to undergo COVID-19 tests in Sanya in southern China's Hainan Province on Aug. 8, 2022. STR/AFP via Getty Images
Nicole Hao
Updated:
0:00

Chinese authorities locked down at least nine cities on the tourist island of Hainan on Aug. 8 as a COVID-19 outbreak was detected. Over 80,000 tourists and six professional soccer teams are unable to leave the far southern province and are facing higher hotel rates.

The lockdown has left the streets of Hainan’s capital, Haikou, and tourist city Sanya deserted and its beaches havens for sea birds.

Nicole Hao
Nicole Hao
Author
Nicole Hao is a Washington-based reporter focused on China-related topics. Before joining the Epoch Media Group in July 2009, she worked as a global product manager for a railway business in Paris, France.
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