U.S. and German embassies in China’s capital of Beijing announced on Dec. 15 the suspension of routine visa services due to the COVID-19 outbreak that’s being seen in other large cities in China, following dozens of countries that have already suspended their visa applications in China.
Meanwhile, concerns have been rising that the COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing will spread to the countryside during travel for the Lunar New Year in January.
Foreign Embassies, Visa Centers Suspend Services in China
On Dec. 15, the U.S. Embassy in China announced on its website that due to the surge in COVID infections across China, all routine visa services have been suspended except for some pre-scheduled visa services in the Shanghai Consulate. All regular appointments at the Beijing Embassy and other consulates general have been canceled. The offices stated that only passport and emergency citizen and consular services would continue to be provided.The German Embassy in Beijing also announced that due to the epidemic situation in Beijing, its consular office and visa office will be closed until Jan. 6, 2023.
German ambassador to China Patricia Flor expressed concern about the medical capacity of mainland China on Dec. 15, “We don’t know, are there enough intensive care unit beds?”
“Nobody is really prepared, mentally, for this situation. So we cannot be excluded. There will be further disruptions here.”
More than a dozen countries closed their visa centers in China in late November.
Concerns for COVID-19 Spread as Holidays Near
The Lunar New Year, the largest holiday in China, falls on Jan. 22, 2023, and the Chinese countryside expects massive influxes of people returning home as well as tourists as the holiday approaches. However, rural China has had little exposure to the various strains of the COVID-19 virus in the past three years, prompting concerns about a large wave of infections and deaths.
On Dec. 16, China’s national health commission stated that it was ramping up vaccinations and stocking up on ventilators, essential medicines, and testing kits in rural areas. It’s also advising travelers to reduce their contact with elderly relatives.
Infections Exploding Long Before ‘Zero-COVID’ Policy Dropped
Michael Ryan, WHO emergencies chief, said at a Dec. 14 press briefing on that COVID-19 infections were exploding in China well before the Chinese regime abandoned its strict “zero-COVID” policy.
He said there’s a false perception going around about China’s COVID-19 situation.
“There’s a narrative at the moment that China lifted the restrictions and all of a sudden the disease is out of control,” he said.
“The disease was spreading intensively because I believe the control measures in themselves were not stopping the disease. And I believe China decided strategically that was not the best option anymore.”
