Shanghai COVID Restrictions Impacting Local U.S. Consulate Services

According to a Nov. 26 email from the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai:

In response to outbreaks of COVID-19 throughout the People’s Republic of China, Shanghai city officials recently implemented guidelines and changes to the local health code which may limit movement and interrupt plans for U.S. Consulate-provided routine services for U.S. citizens and U.S. visa applicants.

Beginning Thursday, November 24, persons arriving in Shanghai from any other municipality in China will have a special indicator on their health code and may be barred from entering highly frequented venues for five (5) days. Such venues may include shopping malls, concert halls, restaurants, markets, salons, and office buildings.

Of note, U.S. citizens and U.S. visa applicants with the above-mentioned designation will likely be denied entry to the shared commercial building where the U.S. Consulate’s consular services office is located. While the American Citizen Services unit at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai remains open and continues to provide the full range of routine and emergency services, the U.S. Consulate has extremely limited ability to intervene in issues related to the enforcement of local COVID-related policies, including entry into the shared office building. U.S. citizens can also seek services at Embassy Beijing as well as Consulate Generals Shenyang and Guangzhou.

Please see the official announcement from the local government authorities found HERE.

The U.S. Consulate’s webpage similarly states:

Please note, if you have arrived to Shanghai within the last five days, after November 24 you may be denied entry to the shopping mall where our consular offices are located. If you have questions or concerns regarding this new policy announced by the city of Shanghai, please reach out to local authorities for additional clarification.  The U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai has extremely limited ability to intervene in issues related to the enforcement of local COVID-related policies. Please see the official announcements from the local government authorities:

http://news.china.com.cn/2022-11/23/content_78533445.html

https://weibo.com/shanghaicity

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