Prognosis
China Celebrated Lunar New Year Like Covid No Longer Exists
- Holiday travel rebounded to nearly 90% of pre-pandemic levels
- The upbeat mood is good for the economy, though risks linger
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Tourist spots were swamped, movie theaters were packed and fireworks displays lit up the night sky as China celebrated the Lunar New Year with an abandon that marked the end of its three-year Covid Zero experiment.
The sudden dismantling of China’s Covid restrictions in December allowed everyone to travel and freely mingle for the country’s most important festival for the first time since 2019. More than 300 million trips were made during the holiday, nearly 90% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.