No simplistic COVID-19 response for Spring Festival travelers: health authorities

A railway policewoman and a crew member explain safe travel tips to a passenger in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Jan. 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's National Health Commission on Saturday urged targeted COVID-19 response measures for people traveling home, as the country is seeing more cross-regional trips ahead of the Spring Festival.

Tailored measures should be applied to people traveling from areas with different risk levels, Mi Feng, a spokesperson for the commission, told a press conference.

Local authorities should not take a simplistic approach to COVID-19 containment by applying a one-size-fits-all policy, nor should they add excessive restrictions, Mi said.

This year's Spring Festival travel rush began on Jan. 17 and will continue until Feb. 25, with the number of passenger trips expected to reach 1.18 billion, official data shows.

According to data from the commission, the Chinese mainland on Friday recorded 23 new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19. Though there has been a marked drop in the number of domestic infections, Mi said that recent cluster cases indicate the risk of the virus spreading still exists.