Coronavirus: China to tighten domestic travel restrictions until the end of October

National Health Commission urges people to stay put during National Day holiday and to minimise cross-city travel to prevent risk of the virus spreading

From Saturday, all passengers on planes, high-speed and other trains, and interprovincial buses and ferries will have to show a negative test result

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China is discouraging domestic travel from Saturday until the end of October – a period that covers the Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day holiday and the Communist Party congress. Photo: AP

Published: 10:23pm, 8 Sep 2022Updated: 11:18pm, 8 Sep 2022

China will tighten Covid-19 restrictions on domestic travel from Saturday until the end of October, covering two public holiday periods and the ruling Communist Party’s national congress next month.

Announcing the move on Thursday, the National Health Commission also urged people to stay put during the week-long National Day holiday and to minimise cross-city travel to prevent the risk of the coronavirus spreading.

A three-day public holiday for the Mid-Autumn Festival begins on Saturday, while the National Day break runs from October 1 to 7.

The measures will also cover the twice-a-decade party congress that is due to begin on October 16 and is expected to last for at least a week. Xi Jinping is expected to secure a third term as party secretary at the gathering, while a new line-up of the top leadership will be unveiled.

From Saturday, all passengers on planes, high-speed and other trains, as well as interprovincial buses and ferries will have to show a negative PCR test result from the previous 48 hours. The NHC has also urged people travelling between provinces and regions to “voluntarily” take PCR tests on arrival.

This is a change for interprovincial travel – previously people travelling from a low-risk area were not usually required to show a negative PCR test result. But those taking transport from areas where Covid-19 cases had been found were required to produce negative PCR test results before boarding.