China Goes on Labor Day Holiday, With Tight Travel Restrictions for Fear of Virus Spreading

A police officer gestures as he secures an area outside Beijing's Tiananmen Square (back) on World Press Freedom Day in Beijing, China on May 3, 2020. NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP via Getty Images

As China entered its five-day Labor Day weekend, many regions placed travel restrictions in an attempt to prevent the CCP virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, from spreading.

Meanwhile, the cities of Harbin and Mudanjiang in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang Province prohibited some of their restaurants from offering dine-in services—to stop people from gathering in large numbers.

Holiday Control

Chinese authorities arranged a five-day public holiday from May 1 to 5, the longest Labor Day break in over a decade. In previous years, Labor Day was a three-day or four-day break.