Stranded tourists wave happily while departing Ejine Banner by train on Oct 27. [Photo/cnr.cn]

Stranded tourists in Ejine Banner in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region reportedly started to leave on Oct 27 after getting the green light to go.

At 9:52 pm on Oct 27, the first batch of 586 tourists stranded in Ejine took a special tourist train, to transfer from Ejine to Zhengzhou city, capital of Central China's Henan province. 

According to Shuang Bao -- director of the Ejine Banner Culture, Tourism, Radio, Film and Television Bureau -- more than 80 percent of the tourists were seniors over 60 years old. 

"What the elderly need and what are their inconveniences are issues that we have been considering when preparing for the transfer," Shuang said.

The local government prepared a food pack for each returning tourist, including instant noodles, self-heating rice, yogurt and an apple.

There is also a staff member and a doctor on board the return tourist train.

"I hope everyone goes home safely," Shuang added.

The tourist train was scheduled to arrive at noon on Oct 29.

Meanwhile, self-driving tourists also began to leave Ejine at 7 pm on Oct 28.

Self-driving tourists give the thumbs up for Ejine Banner before departing on Oct 28. [Photo/Inner Mongolia Daily]

Those given the green light to go numbered 128 people and 42 vehicles. They will undergo a 14-day quarantine in Aolunbolage town in Alshaa Left Banner before returning home.

The local government plans to transfer all self-driving tourists to low-risk areas in Alshaa League for 14 days' quarantine at noon on Oct 30.

Ejine is located in the westernmost part of Inner Mongolia and has a total area of 114,600 square kilometers, with a permanent population of 35,800. 

According to statistics from the Ejine Banner Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Prevention and Control Work Headquarters, as of 3 pm on Oct 25, there were 9,412 tourists stranded in Ejine.

The tourists were reportedly mainly from Sichuan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Gansu and Guangdong provinces, as well as from Shanghai. The main travel modes are tourist trains, tourist chartered buses and self-driving tours. 

At present, Ejine is understood to be striving to transfer other stranded tour groups and individual passengers in batches in the shortest possible time.