Former Member, Richard, and Jocelyn, visited the club during a holiday back in NZ on 18 July 2018. Courtesy of Facebook, here is an interesting update from him while travelling within China since Covid-19.
First noticeable thing of course is the increased health checks and monitoring. At least 3 infra-red camera temperature checks before getting airside at Pudong International Airport. And when checking in, lots scanning of QR codes to check where you have been been and special code to allow you to fly on China Eastern Airlines. The China Eastern terminal departure area was so quiet. While there is increased domestic flying, it is still nowhere near to pre-Covid levels. Another temperature check of each passenger in their seats after take-off and wearing of face masks mandatory on the plane.
On arrival at Guilin airport, more checks! Very pleased to say that the hotel we are staying in is superb. Very welcoming on arrival, sorted out the QR code and passport checking quickly, and helped us to download the Guilin Heath Code. Definitely recommend the Guilin Central Palace Hotel. Only recently opened and really nice with traditional Chinese decor.
You've got to be increasingly technically savvy now traveling in China, and more so than in the past with apps and mobile devices to scan QR codes! Yes, you do feel everywhere you go is monitored and tracked even more so in these Covid times in China. But at least we have the benefit of feeling safe and protected, with China getting back to a new normal.
Looking forward to the rest of the holiday break in Guilin and Yangshou, and then off for 2 weeks to enjoy the sun, pools and beaches of Sanya, Hainan (known as the 'Hawaii of the South' in China!).
As a further context, China is able to quickly control and contain any further outbreaks of Covid 19 due to big data tracking, tracing and mass testing. Yes, it is very intrusive and controlling and western democracies probably don’t have the social licence for it to happen. But it means life is more or less back to a new normal in China.