Scientific and public support for the central government’s travel subsidy campaign is waning as the novel coronavirus continues to spread in urban centers throughout the country.
A nonpeer-reviewed study published Monday found a higher incidence of health issues that resemble symptoms of COVID-19 among participants in the Go To Travel campaign, a government program meant to resuscitate the struggling tourism industry by subsidizing domestic travel.
In a monthlong internet poll of more than 25,400 people, researchers found that more than 3,200 had traveled using the government’s campaign subsidies, 4.8% of whom had experienced a fever compared with 3.7% of nonparticipants.