Covid-19 in China

[Randy W]

Airports Offering on-site PCR and IgM antibody testing facilities
For countries without direct flights to China, you can only do one transit, and you better select airports that have the testing facilities within the airport transit area. 
#covidtest
Source: Blog of Ikky In China
https://www.ikkyinchina.com/china-tube/airports-offering-on-site-pcr-and-igm-antibody-testing-facilities/?fbclid=IwAR1tOAqyGu8Nr5e8J_Fr7GfUWX-CM8EjG0VFtwCVX8cyDWJ_l5z1lYOUx-Q

from Going to China on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/going2china/permalink/4168636366598036/

 

[Randy W]

The link below is to the website used by many of the airlines to check the destination entry requirements. Maybe it will help or reassure somebody planning to travel.
https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/CN-China-(People's-Rep.)-passport-visa-health-travel-document-requirements.htm?fbclid=IwAR1CN3i3ogErj9ifKZgBD7MlvuqNBzFJr73be-4abT1hUMFvtiz-3w-oHTU

from Going to China on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/going2china/posts/4189989004462772/

screen image:

[Randy W]

from the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco

通知：从旧金山、西雅图赴华航班乘客健康码申请相关要求的调整

 

2021/09/02

Google translation:

Notice: Adjustment of relevant requirements for passenger health code application for flights from San Francisco and Seattle to China
2021/09/02
　　 At present, the global epidemic situation is very complicated and severe, and international travel poses a greater risk of infection. The Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco once again reminded all travellers between China and the United States to fully understand the high risks of cross-border travel, continue to adhere to the principle of "non-essential, non-urgent, and no travel", and make a prudent decision to travel. If you really need to travel, be sure to take personal protection.

　　 From now on, for passengers who really need to fly to China from San Francisco or Seattle to apply for a health code, the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco will review it according to the following requirements. If the notices and requirements related to the health code application issued by our library are inconsistent with this notice, this notice shall prevail.

　　 1. Vaccination personnel apply for health code

　　 (1) About the interval between vaccination and testing

　　 Persons who have completed the vaccination can only undergo the "double test" and apply for a health code 14 days after the total number of injections required for the vaccination. Those who have undergone the "double test" within 14 days after completing the vaccination will not be issued a green health code regardless of whether the test result meets the "double negative" requirements.

　　 (2) Regarding the number of vaccination doses

Those who have not completed all the doses required for vaccination (such as 2 doses but only 1 dose, or 3 doses but only 1-2 doses), or 2 doses of inactivated vaccination within the same day, Treat as unvaccinated personnel. In principle, applicants should complete all doses of vaccination and perform the "dual test" and apply for a health code after 14 days.

　　 2. Persons with a history of infection apply for a health code

People who have been diagnosed with new coronary pneumonia or have not been diagnosed but have a positive test result of nucleic acid, IgM antibody (including N protein IgM antibody of non-inactivated vaccine), and IgG antibody (except for positive IgM and IgG antibodies caused by the new crown vaccine) ), if you really need to apply for a health code from our library to go to China, please follow the procedures below:

　　 (1) Confirmation of recovery

After the person recovers, he must undergo a lung CT or X-ray examination at a regular hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area or Seattle area (where the person’s direct flight to China takes off) (pregnant women may not provide this certificate), and do it at a testing agency designated by our museum. Nucleic acid testing (the sampling interval is not less than 24 hours), and the time for the above three tests should be within 3 days before submitting the pre-review mail. The diagnosis result of lung CT or X-ray examination should be: no symptoms of new coronary pneumonia infection or recovery from new coronary pneumonia infection (or although there is no clear statement, but the test results are not abnormal); the results of the 2 nucleic acid tests should be negative. Send the above-mentioned lung examination and diagnosis results and the second nucleic acid test results to cnsfcon@gmail.com with the subject of the email marked as "my name + passport number + confirmation of recovery application".

　　 (2) Isolation and health monitoring

　　 From the date of receiving the email from our library and passing the “confirmation of recovery” review, the person concerned shall conduct self-isolation management and health monitoring for 3 months and fill in the “Statement of Self-Isolation Management and Health Monitoring” (see attachment). If the isolation and monitoring conditions are normal, a trip to China can be arranged.

　　 (3) Check before boarding

Before boarding, you still need to perform a “double test” within 48 hours before boarding in China (the result must be double negative, if you have been vaccinated with a non-inactivated vaccine, the nucleic acid and N protein IgM antibody test results must be negative), and Upload the test certificate and self-quarantine within 48 hours before boarding on the WeChat mini program "International Version of Epidemic Prevention Health Code" (Chinese citizens) or the website https://hrhk.cs.mfa.gov.cn/H5/ (non-Chinese citizens) Statement on management and health monitoring, screenshots of pre-reviewed emails, and other necessary materials for health code application.

　　3. Persons holding a valid residence permit for work, reunion or private affairs apply for a health code

　　 Those who hold a valid residence permit for work, reunion or private affairs, do not need to send an e-mail to submit the pre-review, and directly perform the "double test" as required and apply for a health code.

　　 Four, related explanation

(1) The "health code" in this notice refers to the green code with the HS logo (applicable to Chinese citizens) and the green code with the HDC logo (that is, the "health statement" QR code, applicable to non-Chinese citizen). Only for boarding.

　　 (2) The "within 48 hours before boarding" in this notice is calculated from the date of testing and sampling, and is not accurate to the hour. For example, if passengers board the plane on September 7, they should submit a "dual inspection" report with the sampling date between September 5 (inclusive) and September 7.

[Randy W]

Alex here gets singled out for special treatment after arriving in Chongqing from Shanghai. He had previously quarantined in Shanghai for 2 weeks after arriving from Thailland.

The Great Pandemic Wall Of China | 中国防疫长城

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I'm on my way to Chongqing to continue my quarantine. This is a continued minute by minute vlog of my 28 Days Quarantine In Shanghai and Chongqing. 
I have documented every step of the journey for you. As you know my final destination is Chongqing. I must do a 14-day quarantine in Shanghai and 7+7days in Chongqing. That's a total of 28 Days?! Wow-what a crazy few weeks so far.

All travellers, including Canadian citizens who enter China, are screened upon arrival and subject to a minimum 14-day quarantine plus 7+7 to the final destination. While restrictions around domestic travel within China have eased, local quarantine requirements can vary significantly between cities, and regulations can change very quickly.
China will ease entry restrictions for foreigners inoculated with Covid-19 vaccines made in China, according to some Chinese embassies (See here). The said visa facilitation applies only to applicants who have been inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines produced in China (either having received two doses of Chinese-made vaccines with the stipulated gap in between or having received a single-dose Chinese-made vaccine at least 14 days prior to the application) and obtained the vaccination certificate. A proof of a negative COVID-19 nucleic acid test result and the Health and Travel Record Declaration Form for Visa Application is no longer required. The new rules in some places have taken effect on March 15, 2021. In addition, according to China’s foreign minister Wang Yi, the country plans to issue international electronic health certificates and implement mutual recognition of other countries’ nucleic acid testing and inoculation, to allow “a healthy, safe, and regulated new order for cross-border exchanges of people.”

 

 

[Randy W]

Edit 9/13 10:50PM - the video may still be there.Someone had taken a drone through the construction site and buzzed some of the construction workers. 

Aerial photography of the night view of the construction of the Guangzhou International Health Station on the delivery day, all constructions are still proceeding in an orderly manner

Someone's fly-through of the Guangzhou quarantine site

This video is on ixigua.com - it may or may not work for you.
https://www.ixigua.com/7004813229218071054?wid_try=1

 

Edited September 14, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Mainland and Macao residents eligible for quarantine-free travel to HK as coronavirus-cut communication resumes
By Global Times
Published: Sep 15, 2021 12:43 PM

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Starting from Wednesday, non-Hong Kong residents from South China's Guangdong and Macao who meet certain conditions can now make quarantine-free travel back to Hong Kong under a program launched by the HKSAR government named "Come2hk."

For the time being, the program allows up to 2,000 individuals each day, with 1,000 each for the Shenzhen Bay Port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port.The program does not apply to people from mainland regions identified as medium or high-risk, and the travelers must also undergo regular virus testing. 

The program will be trialed first in Guangdong and then be extended to Shanghai, Hong Kong officials disclosed earlier.

 

 

[Randy W]

A total of 120 confirmed #COVID19 cases and 19 asymptomatic cases have been reported in China's Fujian Province between Friday, September 10 and 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, according to local health authorities.

from CGTN on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/ChinaGlobalTVNetwork/posts/6938717592835668

 

[Randy W]

No new news here - 

Coronavirus: Other countries are giving up ‘Covid zero’. China wants to wait and see

• Chinese CDC chief Gao Fu says new strategy is being discussed and ‘everything is dynamic’ but it’s too soon to view the disease as endemic
• His remarks come as other nations like New Zealand and Australia are moving away from a zero-tolerance approach

from the SCMP 

Medical workers from Jilin province take part in a farewell ceremony on Wednesday in Harbin, Heilongjiang, where they have been helping with mass testing during an outbreak in the city. Photo: Xinhua

Quote

But China, which pioneered controlling Covid-19 with lockdown orders and tight border rules, will remain in a “wait and see” mode when it comes to adjusting its zero-tolerance policy, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention chief Gao Fu said on Wednesday.
“We are discussing about the new strategy in China … everything is dynamic,” said Gao, noting that health authorities had already adjusted national protocols multiple times and were “ready for any possible reassessment”.
However, moving to consider Covid-19 an “endemic” disease that was here to stay would take a major switch, said Gao, speaking at a virtual ministerial conference for Asean Digital Public Health, hosted by health care group EVYD Knowledge Hub in Brunei.
“We are not ready yet to claim Covid-19 as endemic, because at the moment it’s still pandemic. At the moment, it still causes very high fatalities, and psychologically our public are not ready,” he said, referring to the global situation.
Leading respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan earlier this week also said that China should only lift all its border restrictions once there were few infections in other countries and the vast majority of the Chinese population was vaccinated against the coronavirus. So far at least 78 per cent of the country has been vaccinated.

 

[Randy W]

Since a tourist couple tested positive for the virus Sunday in the historic city of Xi’an in Shaanxi province, six other provinces and municipalities, including Beijing, have reported at least 28 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in the past three days.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3069024866749686

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The latest wave of COVID-19 infections was reported just after the country’s weeklong National Day holiday, when hundreds of millions of people traveled across the country. However, no infections linked to the holiday travel have been reported, and the source of infections in Xi’an remains unclear.

Xi’an, which is home to major tourist sites such as the terra-cotta warriors, are mandating citywide testing and curbing mass gatherings to contain the spread of infections. Other areas with new infections have also started mass testing, with some locations suspending schools and public transportation.

 

 

[Randy W]

【#HuSays】The West’s inhumane approach of allowing infections to result in numerous deaths is something Chinese society cannot accept. And the economic costs of China’s policy are lower than the West’s hands-off approach toward the pandemic: Editor-in-Chief Hu Xijin

from the Global Times on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/globaltimesnews/posts/4466234990124033

[Randy W]

Over the past three days, five cities in northwestern Gansu province have reported 40 infections, of which 30 were discovered in the provincial capital Lanzhou. Authorities attributed the outbreak to the Delta variant.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3072974646354708

Chinese Provinces Limit Tourism as COVID-19 Cases Surge in Gansu
Lanzhou residents say life remains normal after the city finds 30 cases in three days.

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Five Chinese province-level regions are on alert amid a cluster of COVID-19 cases, as the city at the epicenter says it seeks to test all tourists. Over the past three days, five cities in northwestern Gansu province have reported 40 infections, of which 30 were discovered in the provincial capital Lanzhou. Authorities attributed the outbreak to the Delta variant.

The Gansu provincial government carried out mass tests after two members of a Shanghai tourist group tested positive for the virus on October 17 in the historic city of Xi’an in neighboring Shaanxi province.

On Sunday, local authorities in Lanzhou said that the city would shut down all tourist attractions starting the following day and requested that all tourists stay where they until receiving two negative COVID tests over two days. The suspended national tourism destinations include Dunhuang’s Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Meanwhile, large-scale gatherings such as banquets are prohibited, to help contain the spread of infections. Despite the recent restrictions, local residents in Lanzhou have reported that their lives mostly continue as usual.

 

 

[Randy W]

China steps up zero-tolerance approach to Covid-19 as Delta fears grow ahead of Beijing Olympics

Chinese authorities are trying to contain coronavirus virus infections with targeted lockdowns, mass testing of residents and transport shutdowns in a bid to return to zero cases before the Beijing Winter Olympics open in February.

from the SCMP on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/245783840909174/

[Randy W]

Shanghai Disney Resort announced on Sunday that they have temporarily suspended entry to cooperate with COVID-19 investigations.  Guests will be required to undergo nucleic acid testing at the exit when leaving the resort. (Photos: Weibo)

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3077769365875236

 

https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/photos/pcb.3077769365875236/3077769235875249

 

https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/videos/210193397842662/

Edited November 1, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

The theme park sounded the alarm after two visitors who reportedly visited the park Saturday were identified as a close contact of an individual who tested positive for the virus. The two were informed on their train ride home to the city of Shangrao in the eastern Jiangxi province and sent to an isolation center at the nearest stop, Hangzhou — one of them later tested positive for COVID-19.

from the Sixth Tone on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/sixthtone/posts/3078399305812242

Shanghai Disneyland Gets a COVID-19 Scare on Halloween
The spooky Halloween ambiance turned a bit too real for many at the theme park over the weekend.

 

[Randy W]

Passengers traveling from mainland China will be segregated at Hong Kong’s airport, in a move aimed at convincing the Chinese government to reopen the border with the city.

Mainland China passengers to be segregated at Hong Kong airport

from TheStar (Malaysia)

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HONG KONG (Bloomberg): Passengers traveling from mainland China will be segregated at Hong Kong’s airport, in a move aimed at convincing the Chinese government to reopen the border with the city.

The airport will be split into different zones to avoid cross-infection among inbound passengers. The proposal was initially reported in the South China Morning Post and confirmed by Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan on Thursday (Nov 4).

"The airport is a high-risk place as there are so many cases around the world and nearly half of those imported are detected there,” Chan said in an interview with Radio Television Hong Kong. "We are considering segregating tourists from the mainland and other places to different zones or more at the airport.”

Details are still being worked out before the plan is confirmed on Nov 10 and implemented soon after, according to the SCMP, which cited unidentified people briefed on the proposal last week.