China hits back at US over Covid-19 travel alert

Name: Locked-down Shanghai hosts a balcony concert to boost morale
Uploaded: 2022-04-10T06:55:29.000Z
Duration: 1 min 30 s
Description: Locked-down Shanghai hosts a balcony concert to boost morale

American authorities have issued a warning over the risk of parents and children being separated in China

Chinese foreign ministry says the ‘accusation’ is groundless and its preventive measures are scientific and effective

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US officials have raised concern over the possibility of parents and children being separated for Covid-19 quarantine and treatment. Photo: Xinhua

Amanda Lee

Published: 2:55pm, 10 Apr 2022

China’s foreign ministry has defended the country’s Covid-19 containment strategy and accused the US of making “groundless accusations” over its coronavirus controls.

“We express strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the groundless accusation by the US side about China’s epidemic prevention policy … and have lodged solemn representations with the US side,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Saturday night.

Zhao said Beijing’s epidemic prevention measures were “scientific and effective” and Chinese authorities had helped foreign diplomats and consulate employees “as much as possible within the scope” of its Covid-19 measures.

“We have full confidence in Shanghai and other places to overcome the new round of outbreaks,” he said.

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Locked-down Shanghai hosts a balcony concert to boost morale

On Friday, the United States issued a travel alert warning for China over Covid-19-related restrictions, including the risk of parents and children being separated.

The US has also allowed non-essential government employees and their families to leave Shanghai – the epicentre of China’s worst Covid-19 outbreak in the two years of the pandemic – and has closed its consular section in the city.