CHINA. In important breaking news for duty free retailers and their brand partners, the Sanya authorities lifted the static management of some areas in the central city from noon today (13 September).
This followed the lifting yesterday (11 September) of temporary static management in other areas such as Haitang District (home to China Duty Free Group’s Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex and CDF Mall), Yazhou District, Yucai Ecological Zone, and the Yalong Bay area.
All now seems set for a prompt reopening of the closed duty free stores in Haitang Bay (China Duty Free Group’s Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex and CDF Mall), and Sanya City (CNSC and Hainan Tourism Duty Free Shopping Complex), which have been closed since early August.
“It still needs 1-2 days , I think,” one Sanya-based travel retailer told The Moodie Davitt Report just after noon Hainan time today.
Reporting the news this morning, New Hainan (part of Hainan Hinews Media Co, The Moodie Davitt Report’s strategic partner in Hainan province) said that the latest easing of restrictions followed a continued fall-off in COVID-19 cases.
From 0 to 24:00 on 12 September, there was just one new case in Sanya City, an asymptomatic infection found in the isolation control zone, the report said [according to the National Health Commission, there were two asymptomatic cases -Ed]
“Since September 5, no positive infected person [excludes asymptomatic] has been found in society for eight consecutive days, and the number of new infections every day is in single digits,” the report said.
“The epidemic situation in Sanya has been effectively controlled,” New Hainan continued in words that will be welcomed by the Hainan duty free retailers and their partners worldwide.
In areas where temporary static management has been lifted, the resumption of agricultural and other production activities, open supermarkets, shopping malls, barber shops, restaurants (other than dine-in) has been permitted.
However Sanya still has 14 high-risk and 44 medium-risk areas in Tianya District and Jiyang District, the report said. Restrictions there will be eased in a phased manner according to circumstances.
As reported, the authorities have been racing against time to eradicate the COVID outbreak which began in early August to kick start the island province’s all-important tourism and duty free sectors before the Golden Week holidays at the beginning of October. Hainan offshore duty free retailers would normally expect booming visitor numbers and sales from the last week of September.
If the Sanya stores reopen soon, their holiday period success will hinge on visitor numbers to the island. Given the long-running crisis, many travel bookings are likely to be last-minute and gaining an advance read on business prospects will be difficult.
Retailers and their brand partners will accept that though, their only priority being to see the offline stores open and trading again.
As reported, the stores in Haikou run by China Duty Free Group, GDF Plaza and Shenzhen Duty-Free Group/DFS, have been trading since 28 August after being forced to close on several occasions due to the crisis centered in Sanya.
New confirmed locally transmitted COVID-19 infections and asymptomatic cases in Hainan in September
12 September: 0 (2 asymptomatic)
11 September: 0 (1 asymptomatic)
10 September: 0 (3 asymptomatic)
9 September: 0 (3 asymptomatic)
8 September: 1 (5 asymptomatic)
7 September: 2 (3 asymptomatic)
6 September: 13 (6 asymptomatic)
5 September: 30 (9 asymptomatic)
4 September: 14 (16 asymptomatic)
3 September: 24 (21 asymptomatic)
2 September: 40 (29 asymptomatic)
1 September: 27 (75 asymptomatic)
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