Is travel in China possible during the upcoming holidays?
A bird's-eye view of Xinghua Park in Hefei, capital of Anhui Province, on October 6, 2020.
With the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays fast approaching, many people can't help but ask, "Can I travel?"
Yes, but be aware of your destination's coronavirus risk level before traveling; don't go to medium- or high-risk areas; and take preventive measures during travel, such as wearing masks, maintaining social distance and avoiding large gatherings, according to a State Council press briefing yesterday.
Holding large events and gatherings is not recommended, while large-scale groupings are not allowed.
Currently, there are no more high-risk areas in China, but three medium-risk areas, namely Chengbei Subdistrict in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, and the villages of Jiele and Dongcun in Mengmao Town, Ruili, Yunnan Province.
The three-day Mid Autumn Festival falls on September 19-21 while the weeklong National Day holiday begins on October 1.
Meanwhile, the National Health Commission is actively promoting the national immunization planning information system in order to share vaccination data across provinces, said Wu Liangyou, deputy director of the Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control under the commission.
For the areas that are not connected to the interprovincial vaccine sharing system, a paper version of the vaccination certificate is required when an individual receives their second dose.
Pharmaceutical companies have completed pre-clinical research of vaccines targeting the Gamma and Delta strains of COVID-19, and some have submitted clinical trial applications, according to the press briefing.
In addition, there is also research and development ongoing regarding adenovirus vaccines and nucleic acid-based vaccines against the Beta and Delta strains. Some drug makers have also completed animal effectiveness and safety experiments and are preparing to apply for clinical trials.
