A surge in COVID-19 cases in Shanghai and the impact of related restrictions enforced by the People's Republic of China have caused the U.S. State Department to order non-emergency U.S. government employees and all family members to leave, the DOS announced April 11.
The DOS issued the order to depart the Consulate General Shanghai consular district three days after issuing a travel advisory against going to China because of the "arbitrary enforcement of local laws and COVID-19-related restrictions," the DOS stated in the announcement. DOS officials warned to not travel to Hong Kong, Jilin province and Shanghai municipality "due to COVID-19-related restrictions, including the risk of parents and children being separated."
"The zero-tolerance approach to COVID-19 by the PRC and Hong Kong governments severely impacts travel and access to public services," DOS officials write in the April 11 travel advisory. "All travelers should prepare to quarantine at a government-designated location for a minimum of 14 days upon arrival. …
"Standards of care, accommodations, testing and treatments may differ considerably from standards in the United States" the DOS states in the report. "Even after completing quarantine on-arrival, travelers to the PRC and Hong Kong may face additional quarantines and mandatory testing as well as movement and access restrictions, including access to medical services and public transportation."
COVID-19 cases in Shanghai have continued to rise despite a complete lockdown of all citizens, Bloomberg News reported April 11. Other regions also seem to be instituting lockdowns, Bloomberg reports, as Guangzhou has begun to shift some students' learning online and implemented more COVID-19 restrictions. The lockdowns have caused some economic growth forecasts to shrink and have increased concerns over supply-chain disruptions, according to Bloomberg.
Chicago-based FourKites, which tracks supply-chain data, released a report April 8 showing the volume of goods shipped out of Shanghai by sea dropped 26% between March 12 and April 4. Goods shipped out of the port by truck dropped 19% during the same time. March 12 marked the implementation of COVID-19 restrictions in Shanghai.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said U.S. attacks on the PRC's zero-COVID policies were meant to "smear" the country and that China was "strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed the U.S.'s politicization of the evacuation," the Wall Street Journal reported April 12.
