Concerned about the “well-being” of American citizens, the United States announced today that it had asked the non-essential staff of its consulate in Shanghai to leave the Chinese city, amid an outbreak of covid-19 and a severe lockdown.
The financial capital of China is facing the biggest outbreak of covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. Authorities have imposed a lockdown on nearly 25 million Shanghai residents to stem the spread of the disease.
However, the strict measures caused various problems, with some residents of the city complaining that they could not be supplied with food.
Another controversial measure adopted by the Chinese authorities is that those who test positive for covid-19, even if they have no symptoms, are taken to state quarantine centers, many of which are makeshift and where living and sanitation conditions are poor.
In this context, Washington “ordered” the unnecessary staff of the US consulate in Shanghai to leave “due to the covid-19 epidemic,” a spokesman for the US embassy said in a statement.
It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
“Arbitrary”
China’s Ministry of Health today announced more than 23,000 new cases of covid-19 in Shanghai. This number is too high for China, one of the last countries in the world to pursue a zero-tolerance coronavirus policy.
This consists of several measures: lockdown as soon as a few cases are detected, removal of the positives from the rest of the population, granting very few entry permits to foreigners in China and quarantine of travelers entering the country.
Most Shanghai residents remain lockdown to this day, although some have been allowed to leave their homes for the first time in more than two weeks.
City officials announced yesterday that more than 7,000 housing units are considered low-risk areas as no new cases have been identified there for 14 days and residents can now leave their homes.
However, there is still confusion about how freely they can move.
Last week, the US embassy in China “allowed” unnecessary consulate staff to leave Shanghai, saying US citizens were at risk of “arbitrary enforcement” of covid-19 rules.
In response, Zhao Liang, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, accused Washington on Saturday of “baseless allegations.”
“We must emphasize that China’s epidemic control policy is scientific and effective,” he said.
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
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