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The U.S. Embassy in Beijing is urging American citizens to postpone travel to and within China as the country continues to implement its strict “zero-COVID” policies that risk blocking access to essential goods such as food, water and medicines.
The embassy said in a Nov. 30 notice that the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation in China and Beijing’s continued enforcement of strict policies to curb the spread of the virus could lead to disruptions in the supply of food, water, medicine and other . essential
Ambassador Nicholas Burns he said in a Twitter post that the embassy is monitoring the COVID situation throughout China and assisting US citizens “who are experiencing challenges due to lockdowns and restrictions.”
It comes as the number of infections in China remained near record highs and authorities continued to impose various measures to prevent and control COVID-19, including mass testing and quarantines.
Travel within China remains “extremely difficult” while rules related to containing COVID-19 change frequently, the embassy said. He warned that Chinese officials could force people to stay in their residences for long periods of time without warning.
“Access to medical care may be limited due to the blockades,” the embassy said, while the ability of US citizens to leave China is “limited and expensive.”
The embassy advised Americans to postpone travel to and within China unless their travel is essential.
“If you are concerned about your safety at this time, please consider returning to the United States,” he added.
The travel advisory followed a recommendation two days earlier that Americans should have a two-week emergency supply of medicine, food and bottled water on hand.
Some cities in China are easing the curbs on COVID-19
Some Chinese cities have announced they are easing their COVID-19 restrictions following widespread protests.
Overall, however, Chinese officials said they would persist in their “dynamic zero covid” policy and gave no indication of when the strict measures would end.
In Guangzhou, a manufacturing hub near Hong Kong, local health officials announced the lifting of lockdowns in several parts of the city on November 30, but said areas of the city designated as “high risk” would remain under lockdown.
Officials in Huangzhou also announced that they would stop ordering mass COVID-19 testing across the district.
Elsewhere in Zhengzhou, a city that is home to a major assembly plant that makes Apple iPhones, businesses such as supermarkets, libraries, gyms and restaurants can resume operations from November 30, after local authorities said normal measures to fight against COVID would be put in place. instead
In Shanghai, health officials announced on Wednesday that they would lift control measures in 24 “high-risk” areas from December 1.
Chongqing, a mega city in southwest China, and Beijing, China’s capital, have also eased their restrictions.
protests
Protests erupted across China over the weekend of November 26-27, spurred in part by anger over a deadly fire in China’s far western Xinjiang region that killed 10 people.
Claims made by protesters and in online forums alleged that local COVID-19 restrictions prevented residents from escaping the fire and delayed first responders from getting to the scene.
Local officials have denied that virus curbs have contributed in any way to the death toll, blaming vehicles left on the streets for blocking access to fire trucks.
But critics disputed the official narrative, arguing in online forums that COVID-19-related movement restrictions had led to cars being abandoned on the streets, while generally expressing frustration with the country’s draconian policies against the virus.
Protesters used the rallies to demand more than an end to the lockdown measures: some called for political reforms, including calling for Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to step down.
Since the deadly fire, there have been 51 public protests in 24 cities across China. agree with the most recent account by Nathan Ruser, a researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
Frank Fang contributed to this report.
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Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has an extensive background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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