A medical worker takes a throat swab sample from a fourth-grade student for nucleic acid testing in Licheng Street of Xianyou County in Putian City, East China's Fujian Province, September 12, 2021. (Photo: China News Service)

As East China combats the fresh flare-up of COVID-19 where many of the cases found were children and elderly people, just days ahead of the country's two major holidays, the capital Beijing on Tuesday called on citizens to complete vaccination before travelling and not to travel abroad during the holidays. 

Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control said in a statement on Tuesday that with the domestic cluster infections and the continuing global pandemic, Beijing's epidemic prevention and control is grim and complex, and all citizens must not ease their efforts in abiding by prevention measures. 

For the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival (September 21) and National Day holidays starting from October 1, Beijing residents are advised not to travel abroad unless for essential trips, and not to visit areas classified as medium- and high-risk zones for COVID-19 in the country. 

Those returning from areas with reported cases have to go through checks at airports or railway stations. The returnees will also be required to immediately report their information to local communities and hotels once they arrive in Beijing and cooperate with epidemic controlling measures including quarantine, screening and nucleic acid testing, the Beijing health authority said. 

For those planning to travel domestically, Beijing government called on them to complete COVID-19 vaccination before leaving the city. The capital launched vaccination for young people aged 15 to 17 in July and people aged 12 to 14 in August. 

Non-essential gatherings should be reduced, especially indoor gatherings, and people should avoid visiting densely-populated venues, the statement said. 

Apart from the capital, many cities in China have issued similar travelling notices for local residents, and several cities including Xi'an in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province and Guilin in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Monday called on local residents not to leave the city unless it's absolutely necessary during the two major holidays. 

The latest flare-up in Putian, Fujian Province, has resulted in over 100 cases in the province four days after it was first reported. Two cities, Putian and Xiamen, started citywide nucleic acid testing on Tuesday, covering more than 7 million residents. 

Global Times