450 Visitors Infected With COVID-19, 2 Thousand Tourists On China's Weizhou Island Abandoned

ILLUSTRATION DOC ANTARA/ Tourists pray in front of a deity in the Qinghai Lake area in Qinghai Province, China, Monday (11/7/2022) ANTARA PHOTO/M. Irfan Ilmie/mobile phone

BEIJING - More than 2,000 tourists on Weizhou Island in southern China were stranded after 450 visitors were found to be infected with COVID-19.

All entertainment venues, recreation areas, cinemas, fitness centers, swimming pools, bars, hot springs, massage parlors, chess and card games, and cafes on the tourist island located in Beihai City, Guangxi Autonomous Region, have been completely closed since Sunday (17/7), as reported by ANTARA, Monday, July 18.

The first asymptomatic case was found on July 12, 2022 in Beihai City which later grew to 450 cases on Saturday (16/7).

The Guangxi Health Commission told the press Monday that the cases in Beihai had spread to several other cities in the area, such as Nanning, Guilin, Hezhou and Chongzuo.

Beihai is one of the famous tourist resorts in Guangxi which has a number of attractions, such as Silver Beach and Weizhou Island which were formed from the former volcanic eruption.

By the 2021 holiday season, the attraction had received 2.1 million tourists.

With 29 A-class attractions, the city has earned 14.6 million yuan in revenue last year.

The latest case, which occurred at the height of the summer vacation, had a serious impact on the tourism industry in Beihai City.

Beihai City authorities have set up a special team to deal with the 2,000 stranded tourists to ensure their demands are met.

Travelers who cancel their bookings for hotels or other accommodations on Weizhou Island will receive a full refund.