# Chinese fret over elderly as WHO warns of holiday COVID surge Author: Pal Sinha, Barnali Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali Published: 2023-01-12 Category: NEWS Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news Meta Title: COVID-19 Concerns Ahead of Chinese New Year Sparks Health Meta Description: Learn how COVID-19 is impacting China's population of 1.4 billion as they prepare for Lunar New Year travel amidst rising concerns. Read more here. URL: https://financedigest.com/chinese-fret-over-elderly-as-who-warns-of-holiday-covid-surgehtml ![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/2023-01-12t034615z1lynxmpej0b03drtroptp4health-coronavirus-china-vaccination-1736814582055-compressed.jpg) By Bernard Orr and Liz Lee BEIJING (Reuters) -People in China worried on Thursday about spreading COVID-19 to aged relatives as they planned returns to their home towns for holidays that the World Health Organization warns could inflame a raging outbreak. The Lunar New Year holiday, which officially starts from Jan. 21, comes after [China last month](https://www.financedigest.com/yangtze-tributary-runs-dry-as-china-faces-another-month-of-drought.html "Yangtze tributary runs dry as China faces another month of drought") abandoned a strict anti-virus regime of mass lockdowns that prompted widespread frustration and boiled over into historic protests. That abrupt U-turn unleashed COVID on a population of 1.4 billion which lacks natural immunity, having been shielded from the virus since it first erupted in late 2019, and includes many elderly who are not fully vaccinated. The [outbreak spreading from China’s](https://www.financedigest.com/as-beijing-battles-outbreak-china-warns-zero-covid-doubters.html "As Beijing battles outbreak, China warns ‘zero COVID’ doubters") mega-cities to rural areas with weaker medical resources, is overwhelming some hospitals and crematoriums. With scant official data from China, the WHO on Wednesday said it will be [challenging to manage the virus over a holiday period considered](https://www.financedigest.com/5-things-to-consider-when-choosing-a-challenger-bank.html "5 Things to Consider When Choosing a Challenger Bank") the world’s largest annual migration of people. Other warnings from [top Chinese health experts for people to avoid](https://www.financedigest.com/top-ten-biggest-mistakes-by-novice-investors-and-how-to-avoid-them.html "TOP TEN BIGGEST MISTAKES BY NOVICE INVESTORS – AND HOW TO AVOID THEM") aged relatives during the holidays shot to the most-read item on China’s Twitter-like Weibo on Thursday. This is a very pertinent suggestion, return to the [home town…or put the health](https://www.financedigest.com/how-to-work-from-home-and-look-after-your-mental-health.html "How to work from home and look after your mental health") of the elderly first,” wrote one user. Another user said they dare not visit their grandmother and would leave gifts for her on the doorstep. This is almost the New [Year and I’m afraid that she will be lonely,” the user](https://www.financedigest.com/an-apple-a-year-half-of-iphone-users-will-upgrade-to-the-iphone-7.html "AN APPLE A YEAR: HALF OF IPHONE USERS WILL UPGRADE TO THE IPHONE 7") wrote. More than two [billion passengers are expected](https://www.financedigest.com/factbox-big-banks-expected-to-rack-up-more-than-1-billion-in-fines-for-whatsapp-use.html "Factbox-Big banks expected to rack up more than billion in fines for WhatsApp use") to take trips over the broader Lunar New Year period, which started on Jan. 7 and runs for 40 days, China’s transport ministry has said. That is [double last year’s trips and 70% of those seen in 2019 before the pandemic emerged in the central Chinese](https://www.financedigest.com/brexit-no-obstacle-as-chinese-overseas-property-investment-doubles.html "Brexit no obstacle as Chinese overseas property investment doubles") city of Wuhan. LACK OF DATA CRITICISED The WHO and [foreign governments have criticised China](https://www.financedigest.com/first-foreign-covid-vaccines-head-to-china-from-germany.html "First foreign COVID vaccines head to China from Germany") for not being forthright about the scale and severity of its outbreak, which has led several countries to impose restrictions on Chinese travellers. [China has been reporting five or fewer deaths](https://www.financedigest.com/china-records-worlds-first-human-death-from-h3n8-bird-flu-who.html "China records world’s first human death from H3N8 bird flu -WHO") a day over the past month, numbers that are inconsistent with the long queues seen at funeral homes. The country did not report [COVID fatalities data](https://www.financedigest.com/who-urges-china-to-share-specific-data-regularly-on-covid-situation.html "WHO urges China to share specific data regularly on COVID situation") on Tuesday and Wednesday. Liang Wannian, the head of a COVID expert panel under the national health authority, told [reporters that deaths](https://www.financedigest.com/strong-nighttime-earthquake-jolts-sleeping-mexicans-at-least-one-death-reported.html "Strong nighttime earthquake jolts sleeping Mexicans, at least one death reported") could only be accurately counted after the pandemic was over. Although international health experts have predicted at least 1 million COVID-related [deaths this year](https://www.financedigest.com/death-of-former-pope-benedict-overshadows-new-year-at-vatican.html "Death of former Pope Benedict overshadows New Year at Vatican"), China has reported just over 5,000 since the pandemic began, a fraction of what other countries have reported as they removed restrictions. Looking beyond the death toll, investors are betting that China’s reopening will reinvigorate a $17 trillion economy suffering its lowest growth in [nearly half](https://www.financedigest.com/nearly-half-of-parents-still-give-pocket-money-to-their-adult-children.html "Nearly half of parents still give pocket money to their adult children") a century. That has [lifted Asian stocks](https://www.financedigest.com/asian-stocks-rally-as-bank-jitters-calm-alibaba-lifts-mood.html "Asian stocks rally as bank jitters calm, Alibaba lifts mood") to a seven-month peak, strengthened China’s yuan currency against the U.S. dollar and bolstered global oil prices on hopes of fresh demand from the [world’s top](https://www.financedigest.com/top-10-fastest-bikes-in-the-world.html "Top 10 fastest bikes in the world") importer. TRAVEL CHALLENGES After three years of isolation from the outside world, [China on Sunday dropped quarantine](https://www.financedigest.com/stocks-advance-u-s-dollar-retreats-as-china-drops-quarantine-rule.html "Stocks advance, U.S. dollar retreats as China drops quarantine rule") mandates for inbound visitors in a move expected to eventually also stimulate outbound travel. But concerns about China’s outbreak has prompted more than a dozen countries to [demand negative COVID](https://www.financedigest.com/merck-kgaa-expects-2023-profit-to-slip-as-covid-demand-wanes.html "Merck KGaA expects 2023 profit to slip as COVID demand wanes") test results from people arriving from China. Among them, South Korea and [Japan have also limited flights and require](https://www.financedigest.com/brazil-to-resume-visa-requirements-for-us-japan-australia-canada-sources.html "Brazil to resume visa requirements for US, Japan, Australia, Canada -sources") tests on arrival, with passengers showing up as positive being sent to quarantine. In a deepening spat between the regional rivals, China has in [turn stopped issuing short-term visas and suspended transit visa exemptions for South](https://www.financedigest.com/setsquared-helps-turn-basingstoke-into-the-souths-next-tech-and-innovation-hub.html "SETsquared helps turn Basingstoke into the South’s next tech and innovation hub") Korean and Japanese nationals. Despite Beijing’s lifting of travel curbs, outbound flight bookings from China were at only 15% of [pre-pandemic levels](https://www.financedigest.com/fraport-sees-2023-passenger-traffic-at-80-90-of-pre-pandemic-levels.html "Fraport sees 2023 passenger traffic at 80-90% of pre-pandemic levels") in the week after the country announced it would reopen its borders, travel data firm ForwardKeys said on Thursday. Low airline capacity, high air fares, new pre-flight COVID-19 testing requirements by many countries and a backlog of passport and visa applications pose challenges as the [industry looks to recovery](https://www.financedigest.com/airline-body-iata-sees-industry-recovery-now-in-2023.html "Airline body IATA sees industry recovery now in 2023"), ForwardKeys Vice President Insights Olivier Ponti said in a statement. [Hong Kong](https://www.financedigest.com/hong-kong-finance-official-to-make-first-visit-to-britain-in-three-years.html "Hong Kong finance official to make first visit to Britain in three years") Airlines on Thursday said it does not expect to return to capacity until mid-2024. (Reporting by Bernard Orr, Liz Lee and Jing Wang in Beijing; Writing by John Geddie; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---