Lunar New Year travel in full swing in China

People across China have started returning to their hometowns ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays.

Meanwhile, Beijing city authorities are on a high alert for the Omicron variant of the new coronavirus. They are calling on residents to refrain from traveling to regions where cases have been confirmed.

Guangzhou Railway Station in the southern province of Guangdong is bustling with travelers. Some passengers carrying lots of luggage arrived at the station more than six hours before departure.

The holiday travel comes ahead of the opening of the Beijing Winter Games on February 4. Fewer travelers than normal were spotted at Beijing Railway Station on Monday.

A guard returning to his hometown told NHK it is better for him to stay in Beijing, but he wants to go home as he hasn’t returned in a long time.

Another man working at a parking lot near the station said he longs to see his parents in his hometown, but he will need to be isolated there for 14 days as well as undergo PCR tests. He said he is better off staying in Beijing.

The Chinese government says it expects 1.18 billion trips will be made during the 40 days from Monday.

The authorities are increasingly wary of a resurgence of the virus. Omicron cases have been confirmed in a number of cities in China, including Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai.

Travers are being obligated to have a negative PCR test in order to travel.