Train ticket sales from Hebei to Beijing suspended as COVID-19 cases increase

As part of efforts to control the spread of imported COVID-19 cases from Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province, where the city's Gaocheng district has become a high-risk area for the epidemic, the Beijing railway authority has suspended sales of train tickets departing from several cities in Hebei to Beijing from Wednesday to Friday.

Sales of train tickets from Shijiazhuang, Handan and Xingtai in Hebei to Beijing during this period have been suspended on the 12306, China's official railway ticket-booking mobile app, to curb the risk of virus spread as new COVID-19 cases continued to surge in the province near the capital.

To further ensure that such tickets won't be purchased, the app has extended the suspension of all train services — both for high-speed and ordinary trains — departing from cities including Shijiazhuang, Handan and Xingtai to Beijing from Wednesday to Feb 3. The status of the tickets shows "sold out" for those trains.

The move indicates the railway authority has taken resolute measures to limit ticket sales and contain the epidemic, an employee of the Beijing Railway Administration told The Beijing News.

Moreover, starting from Wednesday, all passengers entering either the railway station or airport in Shijiazhuang have to present a negative nucleic acid test result within 72 hours of taking the test.

Hebei reported 20 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 19 detected in Shijiazhuang, and 43 asymptomatic carriers on Wednesday. An expert panel led by Ma Xiaowei, minister of the National Health Commission, has arrived in Hebei to inspect the control and prevention work.