Not so happy new year - 2nd February 2022

China's biggest holiday, the Lunar New Year, has arrived. Train stations are packed with people travelling back home. Most of them haven't seen their families in two years because of Covid-19.

Shao: "Naturally we're a little worried, but we did some research and I know we're not in the mid-high risk area, so we really hope to be able to go home and be with our family. "

In Shanghai, people can travel but other parts of China have strict lockdowns. Xi'an city went into lockdown in January. People weren't allowed to go grocery shopping.

If you travel, you have to do a lot of tests. Chen's travelling to see her parents. She tells us about the travel rules.

Chen: "24 hours before leaving Shanghai, I need to do a Covid test. After arriving home, I need to do a test within 24 hours. And there are new rules this year that 48 hours before coming back to Shanghai I need to do a test. Then after arriving in Shanghai, another test. Then, another test within 48 hours of returning to work. So, even though I'm going home for only five days, I need to do five Covid tests. "

The Winter Olympics starts during the New Year holidays in China. The officials would like the games to be free from Covid-19. There are now fewer cases and 85 percent of the population is already vaccinated. Because of this, scientists in China think lockdown rules can be relaxed.

The Lunar New Year is the most important holiday in China and Southeast Asia. This means there'll be large crowds of people travelling to see their families.