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Lunar New Year celebrations are underway in China, as the country is holding such celebrations without sweeping COVID-19 restrictions for the first time in three years.Wu Hao/EPA-EFE file photo
January 21 (United Press International) — Lunar New Year celebrations will be held in China on Saturday, as the country’s first such celebrations are held without strict regulation Coronavirus disease three-year policy.
People enjoying their new freedom start to leave The week-long Spring Festival holiday, Enthusiasm flocks to train stations and airports in major cities, heading to holiday destinations with friends and family.
beijing photo gallery crowded train platform and queues at the airport.
The Lunar New Year, which is most closely associated with Chinese culture, begins on Sunday and ends on many asian countries It can last up to two weeks.
Saturday is the last day of 2022 for the Year of the Tiger, followed by Sunday for the Year of the Rabbit.
China last month End of strict zero tolerancee It has followed the COVID-19 policy since the beginning of the global pandemic. That includes stopping the use of stalking apps amid widespread protests against stricter regulation. The app flags if and when people enter areas that officials deem hotspots, often leading to mandatory quarantines and travel restrictions.
This Lunar New Year, residents are now free to travel across the country, which is observed in several other countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and South Korea. Around 1.5 billion people around the world will watch it and join in the festivities.
The Chinese government predicts that its citizens will make 2.1 billion passenger trips in the 40 days before and after the holiday, almost double last year’s figure.
The speed at which China changed its zero-tolerance policy amid rising COVID-19 cases and deaths has led some countries to institute new rules governing Chinese tourists.
Earlier this month, US policy changed and travelers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau are now required to show negative COVID-19 certificates pre-entry test United States.
As China reports more than 250 million positive cases of COVID-19 During the first three weeks of December.
Japan Border restrictions have also been tightened For Chinese tourists, a negative COVID-19 test is now required within 72 hours of leaving China and before entering the country.
The Chinese government has struck a softer tone in departing from its zero-tolerance policy.Chinese state media Xinhua posted a story seeking Reassuring people that the country is well-prepared to move forward, claiming it has passed the peak of infections and has adequate medical resources heading into the Lunar New Year.
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