Since the a aupt dismantling of
the Chinese governments zero
covid policy, many people have
been anxious about China opening
up to the rest of the world and
the wave of infections that have
swept through the country.
As special correspondent Richard
Kimber reports, most are
brushing risks and fears aside
to celebrate the most important
festival on the Chinese
calendar, the lunar new year.
>> It's just days to go before
the start of the spring
festival.
In beijing, the holiday rush has
already begun.
This is the first time mass
travel without covid
restrictions has been allowed in
nearly three years.
For many of the capitals migrant
workers.
-- Hasn't been back in five
years.
>> Finally I'm going back home.
In the past few years I couldn't
go back because of the epidemic.
>> China's ministry of transport
says it expects travel to double
to more than 2 billion trips
over the holiday period.
It would mark a recovery to
pre-pandemic levels.
It seems that the railway
station are in stark contrast
with how it looked before China
abandoned its strict zero covid
approach.
Gone are the security personnel
dressed in hazmat suits that
patrolled transport hubs and qr
health code check it's where
people had to verify their
health status before entering
our network to be seen either.
>> Of course it's more
convenient.
It's easy coming in and out.
I can go wherever I want.
>> Now the virus has been let
loose, some aren't taking
chances.
One mindset even though he's
returning home, he won't be
visiting friends or relatives.
>> The epidemic hasn't ended.
I wear this to protect myself as
well as others.
>> London-based health analytics
firm forecasts that China could
see as many as 36,000 deaths a
day over the spring festival
holidays.
Over the past two months,
covid-19 has ripped through the
country, crowding out hospitals
and filling crematorium's like
this one.
About 60,000 people have died
officially of covid-19 since
early December according to
China's national health
commission.
Medical experts say the true
figure could be 10 times that.
It's hard to say exactly where
the death toll stands.
The world health organization
has accused China of
underestimating the severity of
its out break.
Earlier this month it also said
a lack of data from the country
was making it difficult to help
manage the risks.
Mike Ryan is executive director
of the W.H.O..
>> We are working ever closer
with their colleagues in China
to try and understand better the
transmission dynamics.
We still do not have adequate
information to make a full
comprehensive risk assessment
and therefore we will continue
to try to encourage access to
that data.
>> Medical experts have also
warned that the rapid spread of
the virus now might make the
emergence of mutations more
likely.
Several countries including the
U.S. Have imposed travel
restrictions on arrivals from
China.
Many other places are welcoming
the return of Chinese tourists.
Among them Hong Kong.
It's a special administrative
region of China.
Even it had been largely cut off
from the mainland until borders
fully reopened this month.
>> The high-speed rail line
behind me has been closed
throughout the pandemic.
Now it's expected to see a surge
in the number of Chinese
tourists coming across the
border.
Before the covid-19 pandemic,
more than two thirds of the 56
million arrivals into Hong Kong
from overseas came from across
the border.
>> Since the pandemic began, the
city has fallen into a deep
recession.
Many people are praying a
rebound in tourism will help
lift the economy.
Economists remain pessimistic
and say a meaningful recovery
could take much longer.
It's fate is tied closely to the
mainland's uncertain outlook.
China's surveyed unemployment
rate likely stood above the
targeted ceiling of 5.5%.
>> With this kind of high
unemployment rate, people's
expectation for future growth
prospect is quite low.
And that means even if we see
some of the rebound for the
tourist side and big cities, the
general recovery will not really
be there.
We have to wait until 2024
before we start to see the
recovery.
>> Is the country marks its
first spring festival free from
covid restrictions, many people
are simply celebrating the
moment and opened to put the
past few tough years behind