Travellers stand by their luggage at Beijing Capital International Airport, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in Beijing, China Dec 27, 2022.BEIJING — Chinese people, cut off from the rest of the world for three years by Covid-19 curbs, flocked to travel sites on Tuesday ahead of borders reopening, even as rising infections further strained the health system and roiled the economy.
Official statistics, however, showed only one Covid-19 death in the past seven days through Monday, fuelling doubts among health experts and residents about the government's data. The numbers are inconsistent with the experience of much less populous countries after they re-opened. Data from travel platform Ctrip showed that within half an hour of the news, searches for popular cross-border destinations on had increased 10-fold. Macau, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, South Korea were the most sought-after, Ctrip said.
But for all the excitement of a gradual return to a pre-Covid-19 way of life, there was mounting pressure on China's healthcare system, with doctors saying many hospitals are overwhelmed while funeral parlour workers report a surge in demand for their services. Many shops in Shanghai, Beijing and elsewhere have been forced to close in recent days with staff unable to come to work, while some factories have already sent many of their workers on leave for the late January Lunar New Year holidays.
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