No simplistic COVID-19 response for Spring Festival travelers: Health authorities


BEIJING -- China's National Health Commission on Saturday urged targeted COVID-19 response measures for people traveling home, as the country is seeing more cross-regional trips ahead of the Spring Festival.
Tailored measures should be applied to people traveling from areas with different risk levels, Mi Feng, a spokesperson for the commission, told a press conference.
Local authorities should not take a simplistic approach to COVID-19 containment by applying a one-size-fits-all policy, nor should they add excessive restrictions, Mi said.
This year's Spring Festival travel rush began on Jan 17 and will continue until Feb 25, with the number of passenger trips expected to reach 1.18 billion, official data shows.
According to data from the commission, the Chinese mainland on Friday recorded 23 new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19. Though there has been a marked drop in the number of domestic infections, Mi said that recent cluster cases indicate the risk of the virus spreading still exists.
- China-ASEAN Expo's official social media accounts go live!
- 'Blue carbon' ecosystems highlighted at forum as key to tackling climate change
- Domestic single-dose flu drug approved
- China to get tough on rare metals theft
- Green agriculture efforts bearing fruit
- 'Sky Eye' helps unlock mysteries of the universe