China's big Spring Festival travel rush, which lasted from January 10 to February 18, took a major dip in volume this year, with passenger trips falling by more than 50% because of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Considered the largest human migration on the planet, the 40-day period was forecasted to see about three billion trips, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, as cited by China Daily. However, only about 1.48 billion trips were made, with travel restrictions to curb the spread of the virus affecting the decreased passenger volume in China.
The number of rail trips dropped off drastically after January 25 as more and more people were either quarantined or simply opted not to travel during the holidays. In total, 210 million rail trips were recorded during the period, a 48.3% decrease compared to the prior year.
Car trips (1.21 billion) and boat trips (16.9 million) were also down for the travel rush known as chunyun, with both modes of transportation down over 50% year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Transport.
On a positive note, 339,500 metric tons of material needed to control the epidemic have been delivered to affected areas, particularly in Hubei province, via transportation means.
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[Cover image via Pixabay]
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