Fewer trips for China’s Golden Week amid quarantine fears

BEIJING (AP) — Far fewer Chinese are expected to be traveling during the upcoming “Golden Week” National Day holiday, amid rigid anti-COVID-19 restrictions and calls from health officials for people to stay put. China’s transport ministry is estimating some 210 million trips will be made by road during the week-long holiday that begins Saturday, down 30% compared to the same time last year. China remains the only major country that has yet to reopen and continues to enforce strict case tracing, quarantines and mask-wearing policies, along with rolling lockdowns affecting millions and health designations preventing people from traveling. On Friday in Beijing, President Xi Jinping led top leaders in placing flower baskets at a memorial to revolutionary martyrs.