Authorities step up controls to ensure safe holiday travel

The central government will tighten travel management during the upcoming New Year's Day and Spring Festival holidays to ensure travelers have safe and peaceful breaks, senior officials said.

Zhuo Li, vice-director of emergency response with the Ministry of Transport, said at a news conference on Wednesday that an estimated 80 million trips will be made during the coming New Year's Day holiday — from Saturday to Monday — a slight decrease on last year.

He said that the Spring Festival holiday in late January, however, will lead to a surge in trips. "We estimate that during 40-day travel rush — from Jan 17 to Feb 25 — trips will outnumber 2021 when 870 million trips were made, and may even be higher than in 2020, when 1.48 billion trips were made."

The huge flow of people during these two holidays requires authorities take stricter measures to prevent any possible risk of infection.

"We will ask transport bureaus and vehicle operators to check travelers' health codes and maintain passenger flows within a reasonable range," Zhuo said, adding that the Ministry will "strengthen efforts to crack down on illegal behavior on transportation and prevent travelers from being stranded due to inclement weather."

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism will continue to order the suspension of group tours to destinations with areas listed as having a medium or high risk of infection over the holidays.

Yu Changguo, the ministry's deputy director of market management, said at the news conference that travel agencies should monitor the health of staff members and organize regular nucleic acid tests for them.

"As the New Year's Day and Spring Festival holidays approach, we suggest travelers plan their trips in advance to avoid some popular attractions or peak season periods for the good of their own health," he said.

He added that personal protection is also necessary during trips, while large-scale gatherings are not encouraged over the breaks.

"Whenever you feel uncomfortable or catch a cold, you should suspend travel and go to hospital for treatment," he said.