COVID-19 in Shanghai: United States orders non-essential employees of their consulate to leave city

The Chinese economic capital, which faces its strongest case rise since the beginning of the pandemic, is subject to strict containment.

Le Monde and AFP

The United States ordered non-essential employees of their consulate in Shanghai to leave the city, on the background of epidemic outbreak and strict containment measures in the metropolis, announced, Tuesday, April 12, the American Embassy.

The Chinese economic capital faces its strongest cases since the beginning of the pandemic. The authorities have confined almost all 25 million people and place positive tested people in quarantine centers.

It is in this context that the US State Department has “ordered the departure [of its staff] because of the current COVID-19 epidemic,” said a spokesman for the Embassy from the United States in a statement.

American diplomats also informed the Chinese authorities “of their concerns about the safety and well-being of American citizens”, says the text.

isolation in quarantine centers

China is one of the last countries in the world to apply a strict Zero Covid strategy. It consists of several measures: confines from the appearance of a few cases, separation of the positive tested persons with the rest of the population, visas delivered to the dropper, quarantine on arrival on the territory or still tracing the displacements.

The Ministry of Health has reported on Tuesday more than 23,000 new cases positive in Shanghai. Almost all of its 25 million people are always confined to their homes, with some of the difficulties recovering food. A large number of positive tested people were also placed at isolation in large quarantine centers installed in exhibition halls or prefabricated structures.

Last week, the US Embassy had already announced “authorize” non-essential employees of the consulate to leave Shanghai. She had also felt that US citizens could face an “arbitrary application” anti-Covid restrictions.

/Media reports.