Regions assist people stranded by COVID-19

Several Chinese regions released detailed measures recently to help tourists return home after being stranded by COVID-19 outbreaks.

On Saturday, 25 tourists who had been stranded in Datong, Shanxi province, packed their suitcases and took minibuses to the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Shandong province.

They were the first people to be sent back home during the static management period in Datong. A notice from the city's COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control headquarters earlier this month said that people stranded in low-risk areas and who have a negative nucleic acid test result within 48 hours can apply to leave the city, once they obtain a letter of acceptance from their destination, either from their company or community.

The local government and police will direct them to railway stations, airports or roads.

The headquarters also said the lodging expenses of people stranded in the city will be paid by the local government.

On Oct 30, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, released a notice saying that those stranded in low-risk areas and who have tested negative three times five days before leaving the city can travel.

As of Nov 2, Hohhot's online platform had received 15,684 applications and approved 3,227 exits. Because Hohhot has not resumed its domestic flights and trains, stranded people can leave from surrounding cities, local authorities said.

The epidemic prevention and control headquarters of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region organized a conference on Oct 30 to discuss measures to help stranded students, tourists and workers return home, if it can be done without spreading the coronavirus.

Tourists who were about to leave Altay prefecture in Xinjiang told People's Daily Health on Sunday that local doctors and volunteers helped them a lot, and they wanted to come to visit again.