Lockdown leaves thousands stranded in Chinese resort

Some 80,000 tourists are stranded in the southern Chinese beach resort of Sanya, after authorities declared it a COVID-19 hot spot and imposed a lockdown. The restrictions came into force on Saturday morning, as authorities sought to stem the spread of COVID-19 in the city on tropical Hainan Island. There were 229 confirmed cases on Friday and an additional 129 on Saturday.

Railway authorities banned all ticket sales in Sanya while all flights were also cancelled on Saturday. Tourists wanting to depart Sanya have to test negative for the coronavirus on five PCR tests over seven days, authorities said. The lockdown comes during a peak tourism season in Sanya, which is famous for its resorts and beaches.