US Embassy Urges Americans Not to Travel to China

A Chinese security guard gestures outside the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Sept. 12, 2020. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Embassy in Beijing is urging American citizens to postpone travel to and within China as the country continues to enforce its strict “zero-COVID” policies that risk blocking access to essentials like food, water, and medicine.

The embassy said in a Nov. 30 advisory that the quickly changing situation with COVID-19 in China and Beijing’s continued enforcement of strict policies to curb the spread of the virus could lead to interruptions in the supply of food, water, medicine, and other essentials.

Ambassador Nicholas Burns said in a Twitter post that the embassy is monitoring the COVID situation across China and assisting U.S. citizens “experiencing challenges due to lockdowns & restrictions.”

It comes as the number of infections in China has remained near record highs and as authorities have continued to impose various COVID-19 prevention and control measures, including mass testing and quarantines.

Travel within China remains “extremely difficult” while rules relating to COVID-19 containment change frequently, the embassy said. It cautioned that Chinese officials could force people to stay in their residences for long periods of time without any advance warning.

“Access to medical care may be limited due to lockdowns,” the embassy said, while the ability of U.S. citizens to leave China is “limited and expensive.”

The embassy advised Americans to postpone trips to and within China unless their travel is essential.

“If you are concerned for your safety at this time, please consider returning to the United States,” it added.

The travel advisory followed a recommendation two days prior that Americans should keep on hand a two-week emergency supply of medicine, food, and bottled water.

Epidemic control workers stand guard outside a community in lockdown in Beijing on Nov. 29, 2022.Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Some Cities in China Ease COVID-19 Curbs

Some Chinese cities have announced that they’re easing their COVID-19 restrictions following widespread protests.

Overall, however, Chinese officials have said they will persist in their “dynamic zero-COVID” policy and have not given any indication of when the strict measures would end.

In Guangzhou, a manufacturing hub located near Hong Kong, local health officials announced lifting lockdowns in several parts of the city on Nov. 30, but said areas of the city designated “high-risk” would remain under lockdown.

Ghuangzhou officials also announced that they would stop ordering district-wide mass COVID-19 testing.

Elsewhere in Zhengzhou, a city that is home to a major assembly plant making Apple’s iPhones, businesses including supermarkets, libraries, gyms, and restaurants are allowed to resume operations from Nov. 30, after local officials said normal COVID-combating measures would be put in place.

In Shanghai, health officials announced Wednesday that they would remove control measures in 24 “high-risk” areas beginning on Dec. 1.

Chongqing, a mega city in southwest China, and China’s capital Beijing have also eased their restrictions.

Police and people are seen clashing during a protest against China's zero-COVID policy in Shanghai on Nov. 27, 2022. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

Protests

Protests broke out across China over the weekend of Nov. 26–27, spurred partly by anger over a deadly fire in China’s far-western Xinjiang region that killed an officially reported 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 reaching the scene.

Local officials denied that virus curbs in any way contributed to the death count, blaming vehicles abandoned in the streets for blocking access to fire trucks.

But critics disputed the official narrative, arguing in online forums that COVID-19 related restrictions on movement led to cars being abandoned on streets, while generally expressing frustration with the country’s draconian virus policies.

Protesters used the rallies to demand more than just ending lockdown measures—some demanded 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 across 24 cities in China, according to the most recent tally by Nathan Ruser, a researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

Frank Fang contributed to this report.