U.S. authorities last night ordered their staff at the Shanghai consulate, whose work is not urgent, as well as their families, to leave the Chinese metropolis due to the austerity measures imposed because of COVID-19.
Last week, the State Department allowed some of its diplomatic staff to leave the country. The requirement is no longer voluntary, the Associated Press reported.
Many residents of the 26-million-strong city of Shanghai in China have to stay in their homes for up to three weeks because of the government’s “zero covid” policy, which requires strict isolation and mass testing to deal with outbreaks.
People living under these constraints described the situation as increasingly desperate. Many families are unable to leave their homes or get food and other necessities, and residents with positive covid tests are forced to quarantine in mass centers that are reported to be overcrowded and offer poor sanitation. , notes AP.
The Chinese government and the state-controlled media are increasingly opposed to complaints about measures against the spread of the coronavirus.
Beijing has reacted angrily to US authorities’ recommendation to their compatriots to leave the country last week, and Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijiang said China was “very unhappy with the US’s baseless accusations against China’s response to the pandemic and strongly opposes it.”.
This is a statement from the State Department, which advises Americans to carefully consider whether to travel to China due to the “arbitrary imposition” of local laws and restrictions against coronavirus, especially in Hong Kong, Jilin Province, and Shanghai. US authorities have warned that there is a risk of “separating children from their parents”.
Authorities in Shanghai yesterday took some action to ease the lockdown, Reuters reported. Residents of their homes have left their homes for the first time in more than two weeks of isolation, and authorities say more than 7,000 residential buildings have been classified as low-risk areas after no reports were reported in the past two weeks. a new case of infection with the disease.
According to the Japanese financial holding company Numora, full or partial lockdowns are currently imposed in 45 Chinese cities, affecting up to 26.4 percent of the country’s population and 40.3 percent of its GDP, Reuters reports.
Yesterday, 22,348 asymptomatic cases of coronavirus were registered in Shanghai, compared to 25,173 the day before. The confirmed symptomatic cases were 994 yesterday and 914 on Sunday, Reuters notes.
