BEIJING — Roughly 34.73 million people traveled by train in China during the four-day New Year travel rush, with COVID-19 precautions in place, the railway operator said on Jan 4.

The peak rail passenger flow came on Jan 1, the first day of the three-day New Year holiday, as 9.89 million passenger trips were recorded, said the China State Railway Group. That was 481,000 more travelers than on Jan 1, 2020, an increase of 5.1 percent.

A total of 3.42 million people traveled by air in China from Jan 1 to Jan 3, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The railway sector said it has taken precautions against COVID-19 during the travel rush, including temperature checks both inside and outside of stations, separated seats for passengers with fever symptoms, and properly ventilating and disinfecting the travel environment.