US consulates in China cut services as Covid-19 wave sweeps country

Name: Patients in China hooked up to IV drips in their own cars as clinics are full
Uploaded: 2022-12-16T03:29:58.000Z
Duration: 1 min 45 s
Description: Patients in China hooked up to IV drips in their own cars as clinics are full

Visa appointments cancelled as consulates in Guangzhou, Wuhan and Shenyang suspend most non-emergency services

The announcement comes as infections surge after Beijing’s sudden U-turn from zero-Covid policy

Reading Time:2 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

The US embassy in Beijing says consular services are limited because of a spike in Covid-19 cases across China. (Photo: AFP

Liu Zhen

Published: 11:29am, 16 Dec 2022Updated: 2:43pm, 16 Dec 2022

US consulates in China have suspended most of their services because of the Covid-19 surge across the country.

The US embassy in Beijing and consulate in Shanghai have limited their services to passport and emergency consular services.

Consulates in Guangzhou, Shenyang and Wuhan will only offer emergency consular services until further notice, the US mission to China announced on its WeChat account on Thursday evening.

The announcement said the suspension was because of the “operational impacts caused by the surge of Covid-19 infections across China”.

Visa services have been halted except for a few previously scheduled services in Shanghai. Regular visa appointments at all locations had been cancelled, and applicants must reschedule their appointments, it said.

01:45

Patients in China hooked up to IV drips in their own cars as clinics are full

China has seen an unprecedented wave of infections since the country made a sudden U-turn from its zero-Covid policy last week. With lockdowns lifted, testing posts removed and public venues reopened, China’s population is now exposed to the coronavirus after years of being shielded.