China Encourages Holiday Travel Despite Local Lockdowns to Prevent COVID-19 Spread

Police officers who are wearing masks watch an oil tanker unloading crude oil at the port in Qingdao, eastern China's Shandong Province on March 20, 2020. STR/AFP via Getty Images

As China prepares to celebrate the eight-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, authorities in popular tourist cities are claiming that they are safe to visit—despite lockdowns and school restrictions suggesting that COVID-19 infections haven’t yet subsided.

China will observe a national holiday beginning Oct. 1 to celebrate the festival, as well as the anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s takeover of the country.