(Yicai Global) Aug. 8 -- Some 80,000 holiday makers are estimated to be stuck on the Chinese getaway island of Hainan as the local government halts all flights in and out of the province due to an outbreak of Covid-19 in its southernmost city Sanya.

All air traffic into and out of Hainan province’s three airports have been halted in accordance with the country’s pandemic prevention policy, Yicai Global learned from several airlines. Haikou Meilan International Airport and Qionghai Bo'ao International Airport stopped all flights today and Sanya Phoenix International Airport did so on the afternoon of Aug. 6.

There are around 80,000 tourists stranded in Sanya, the city’s Vice Mayor He Shigang said at a press conference on Aug. 6. Local authorities have started to refund their airline tickets and are asking hotels to provide accommodation at half price.

Between Aug. 1 and Aug. 7, 982 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 449 asymptomatic infections were detected in the province, according to the Hainan Provincial Health Commission. Of these, 801 confirmed cases and 409 asymptomatic ones were in Sanya.

Haikou started to restrict traffic flows today, a measure that the epicenter Sanya has already implemented. Some hotels in the provincial capital are not allowing new guests to check in and those that still are require them to have no history of being in areas with medium to high-risk of Covid-19, Yicai Global has learned.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Kim Taylor