With more than 2 billion Chinese expected to travel for the Lunar New Year this month, China is seeking to minimize the possibility of a major new COVID-19 outbreak following the end of most pandemic containment measures.

The Transportation Ministry has called on travellers to reduce trips and gatherings, particularly if they involve elderly people, pregnant women, small children, and those with underlying conditions.

People using public transport are also urged to wear masks and pay special attention to their health and personal hygiene, Vice Minister Xu Chengguang said.

The call stopped short of asking citizens to stay home entirely, as the government had since the pandemic began, although some local governments have urged migrant workers not to return home.

Xu said authorities expect this year’s travel rush to nearly double in numbers over last year. The weeklong festival season is the most important time for visiting family and friends in the traditional Chinese calendar and demand for family visits and tourism has “accumulated over the past three years of the pandemic to be met all at once,” he said.

China abruptly ended a strict regime of lockdowns, quarantines, and mass testing in December amid growing concerns about the economic impact and rare public protests in a country that permits no open political dissent.

On Sunday, China also ended mandatory quarantines for people arriving from abroad and Hong Kong re-opened some of its border crossings with mainland China allowing tens of thousands of people to cross every day without being quarantined.

Overseas, a growing number of governments are requiring virus tests for travellers from China, saying they are needed because the Chinese government is not sharing enough information on the outbreak, particularly about the potential emergence of new variants.