Teachers and students are encouraged to stay put during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, Wang Dengfeng, head of the COVID-19 prevention office at the Ministry of Education, said on Wednesday.

The needs of students and teachers in life, study and research who chose to stay at school during the holidays should be guaranteed, said Wang.

Even with 91 percent of students and teachers vaccinated nationwide, it is still recommended students do not leave their home provinces and stay on guard, he added.

The travel warnings came ahead of the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, which starts on Sept 19, which will be followed by the seven-day National Day holiday starting on Oct 1, both of which are major tourism periods.