A staff member works in a temporary laboratory for nucleic acid testing at the square of the Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, July 27, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)

Railway ticket sales from coronavirus high-risk areas to Beijing has been frozen, according to media reports on Monday, as the decision comes amid renewed efforts to curb a nationwide coronavirus spike that has spilled into the country's capital.

On the 12306 online ticket sales platform, ticket for train services starting from Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province and Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province, were displayed as being unavailable for the period from August 2 to 16, the Beijing Youth Daily reported on Monday. The two cities have reported a growing number of COVID-19 infections.

Train services from Beijing to Zhangjiajie city, a tourist site in Central China's Hunan Province which was also hit by the latest flare-up, were also unavailable between Monday and Friday. 

The customer service center at the Beijing railway authority confirmed that it had stopped selling tickets linking the capital city with some localities. 

Passengers who have purchased tickets are still able to travel at a later date or ask to be refunded, customer service staff confirmed. 

Global Times