Covid-19: China sees 45% drop in holiday travel

Passengers wearing facemasks arriving from different provinces arriving at the Beijing Railway Station after their extended Chinese New Year break due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The volume of passenger trips during the Spring Festival travel rush this year is expected to be 45% lower than last year due to the outbreak, with no peak in the number of return trips, said China's Ministry of Transport on Saturday (Feb 15).

BEIJING: The volume of passenger trips during the Spring Festival travel rush this year is expected to be 45% lower than last year due to the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, with no peak in the number of return trips, said China's Ministry of Transport on Saturday (Feb 15).

"Multiple measures on staggering return trips have been implemented to lower the risks of epidemic transmission, and they are producing notable results," Li Wenxin, vice general manager of the China State Railway Group Co, Ltd., said at a press conference in Beijing.