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William Langley

The Chinese embassy in the US issued a plea to its citizens in America not to travel over the holiday period unless it is absolutely necessary.
The embassy posted an announcement on its official website on Saturday, urging people to “do the proper thing for ourselves, others, our country and the world”.
On the same day, the embassy also announced that from Wednesday it would tighten rules concerning preflight Covid-19 testing for those seeking to travel from the US to China.
The announcements came amid concerns about the growing number of worldwide Covid-19 cases especially in the United States and Europe and the increased risks of compromising China’s defence against the disease.
According to the announcement, China had reported more than 4,000 imported cases of Covid-19 by last Friday, while locally transmitted cases had come close to zero.
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It said that imported cases were now most prominent threat to China’s efforts to fight the virus.
The embassy said it had become concerned about the risk of imported cases posed by air passengers who did not properly heed social distancing and Covid-19 testing rules. It also said it had discovered that some passengers were buying falsified negative Covid-19 test reports so that they could travel.
“What they are doing is extremely irresponsible to themselves, it is a massive risk to airline crew and ground staff, it selfishly ignores the interests of airlines, shows arrogant contempt for those who work day and night to serve inbound passengers and is a grave challenge to the epidemic situation in China,” it said.
The embassy also warned that the US had become one of the biggest sources of imported cases in China.
The new rules mean that travellers from the US will have to get tested for Covid-19 at an embassy-approved laboratory near their departure airport, to minimise the possibility of contracting the disease after the test. Finger-prick blood tests will no longer be allowed, with those hoping to travel to China now requiring testing via venous blood sampling.

The embassy urged travellers to isolate at home between getting tested and their departure.
It also appealed to those thinking about travelling home during the holiday period to remember the sacrifices made in fighting the virus.
“Since the novel coronavirus outbreak began, China has firmly held the people above all else, it has held life above all else. The whole nation has worked wholeheartedly to wage a war against this shocking virus,” it said.
“Several million medical workers are on the front line of fighting the virus, over 4 million community workers stand guard in the neighbourhoods of 65 cities and towns across the country, and countless volunteers and normal people have silently committed themselves to make tremendous sacrifices,” it said.
According to the Pew Research Centre, there are an estimated 4,948,000 people of Chinese heritage in the US, 67 per cent foreign-born. The Institute of International Education also estimated that there were more than 372,000 Chinese students in the US last year, many of whom may hope to travel home for the holidays.
Recently, the Chinese authorities have underlined their concern about imported cases causing a new outbreak in the country.
Chinese expert calls for more investigation into ‘environmental spread’ of Covid-19
Yesterday, the Ministry of Health reported 23 new Covid-19 cases in mainland China, 21 of them imported.
Early this month Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan consulted medical experts at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, who reportedly told her that “the global pandemic situation remains severe and the pressure on our country to ‘bounce back’ with imported cases still exists”, according to the official news agency Xinhua.
The embassy said the latest steps for inbound travellers from the US were needed to keep both airline staff and the country safe.
“To seize a full victory in fighting the virus, the Chinese embassy in the US must perform its duty and has no choice but to adopt the necessary steps,” it said.


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China

Diplomacy

Science

Coronavirus

US & Canada


Chinese nationals are told they must do the right thing ‘for ourselves, our country and the world’ as Covid-19 continues to spread
New curbs have been introduced on travel between the two countries amid growing Chinese concern about imported cases



Chinese nationals are told they must do the right thing ‘for ourselves, our country and the world’ as Covid-19 continues to spread.


Coronavirus pandemic

Lunar New Year

Coronavirus: Chinese embassy in US urges citizens to only travel if necessary

Chinese nationals are told they must do the right thing ‘for ourselves, our country and the world’ as Covid-19 continues to spread New curbs have been introduced on travel between the two countries amid growing Chinese concern about imported cases

Chinese nationals are told they must do the right thing ‘for ourselves, our country and the world’ as Covid-19 continues to spread

New curbs have been introduced on travel between the two countries amid growing Chinese concern about imported cases