China's Hainan battles COVID-19 outbreak
STORY: China's Hainan island has turned from a tourism hotspot to a COVID epicentre.
Cases have recently soared, and snap lockdowns have left tourists stranded there. State media say more than 170,000 are stuck.
On Tuesday authorities locked down at least nine cities and towns - a population of about 7 million becoming one of several Chinese regions battling outbreaks after seeing very few cases in the past two years.
Those include Xinjiang and Tibet in the west.
Hainan has reported more than 1,800 infections in August alone.
The sharp increase in cases comes as interest in tourism picks up after China slightly relaxed limits on domestic travel.
State broadcaster CCTV showed footage in Hainan of dozens of people queuing up to receive COVID-19 swab tests, and several cordoned off areas under lockdown in the provincial capital, Sanya.
The curbs are in line with China's "dynamic COVID-zero" policy that aims to stamp out outbreaks as soon as possible.
