US orders non-emergency gov't employees to leave Shanghai amid rising COVID cases

WASHINGTON

The State Department on Monday ordered non-emergency US government workers and their family members to leave the city of Shanghai.

The order comes in response to COVID-19 cases and the impact of restrictions related to the Chinese government's response.

"The zero-tolerance approach to COVID-19 by the PRC and Hong Kong governments severely impacts travel and access to public services," said the department in a travel advisory, referring to the People’s Republic of China, the country’s official name.

The department also called on Americans to reconsider traveling to China, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Jilin province and Shanghai municipality "due to COVID-19-related restrictions, including the risk of parents and children being separated."

Shanghai, China’s most populous city, is one of the regions hit worst in an unprecedented virus wave that saw the country record more than 100,000 infections in March alone.

Earlier this month, authorities extended a lockdown and restrictions in Shanghai for an indefinite period and have been carrying out a citywide campaign to test its millions of residents.