COVID-19: US State Department orders non-emergency staff to leave Shanghai

Shanghai: The United States has ordered all non-essential employees at its Shanghai consulate to leave over a spike in COVID-19 cases and a harsh lockdown in the Chinese city, an embassy spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday.

The US State Department “ordered the departure due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak” and US diplomats have raised “concerns about the safety and welfare of US citizens with People’s Republic of China officials,” the spokesperson said in the statement.