Foreigners reveal truths behind quarantine experiences in China

For her 45th birthday, British national Aimee Swann didn't expect to celebrate it while in quarantine at a hotel in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, after entering China with her two daughters, both under the age of four.

To Swann's surprise, the hotel staff gave her a birthday cake that day, which to some extent comforted her as she was thousands of miles away from other family members.  

Along with Swann, those with experiences of entering and quarantining in China in the past months may be confused by words like "draconian" or "inhumane" that some Western media have used to describe China's entry policies amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which are obviously not consistent with the facts.

Rachel George arrived in Xiamen, Fujian Province, from the US last October. She told that she was very impressed by how China managed the entire process. "I felt safe and taken care of; very smooth, and as enjoyable as the quarantine could be," she said.

Real entry experiences

China has opened its doors to tens of thousands of foreigners amid the pandemic. It provided quarantine services to approximately 125,000 foreigners coming to China in 2020 alone, according to statistics released by the National Immigration Administration in January.

"Everything was quite a smooth process once I landed in Shanghai. It was quick and very efficient," Keira Hart, a 38-year-old teacher from Nottingham, the UK, told. Hart took a throat and nasal COVID-19 test at the airport in Shanghai and another one before she was discharged from a 14-day quarantine at a hotel last November.

Hart said she didn't feel the paperwork for the visa application was complicated as her employer, a local kindergarten, prepared all the filings well. "I think the process from my school applying took only a few weeks," she said.

George had her PU letter (an invitation letter)  prepared by her employer in China, in addition to presenting a COVID-19 test report valid for 48 hours before her flight to China which was "perhaps the most stressful part of the journey," she commented.

Hart recalled that it took around four hours from landing in Shanghai to arriving at the quarantine hotel. "Once inside, the airport was very organized, set up as a one-way system to walk through each step, filling forms and [taking] COVID-19 tests," she said. "There are signs to explain and plenty of staff to help."

Hart paid 7,000 yuan for the 14-day quarantine hotel, food and tests included. "The fee is very reasonable," she told.

For Swann who quarantined with kids, the hotel staff in Guangzhou also made efforts to help. "They sent up a kids play kitchen set and also sent free fruits. They were extremely helpful and kind," Swann said. During the quarantine, Swann was put in touch with a local supermarket that delivered anything she needed within one hour. 

Who can enter China?

At present, according to the latest policies, the foreigners who can enter China include those holding diplomatic, official, courtesy, and C visas; those holding permanent residence permits in China; those holding valid residence permits for work, personal affairs, and reunions in China; and those holding visas issued amid the pandemic after March 28, 2020.

For the foreigners with residence permits for work, personal affairs, and reunion purposes that have expired since March 28, 2020, have been able to apply for new visas to enter China since September 28, 2020, said an official notice released on September 23, 2020.

In general, China has been providing more conveniences to visitors from visa applications to after-entry quarantines as the global pandemic situation gradually improves. The latest policies it announced in mid-March no longer ask for invitation letters or negative COVID-19 results from some foreigners and their relatives who have been inoculated with Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines in their visa applications. 

The policies also expand the scope of visa review and issuance for people coming to China due to emergency humanitarian needs, such as family reunions, attending funerals, or visiting critically ill relatives.

China is also working on offering entry conveniences to those being inoculated with non-Chinese COVID-19 vaccines, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry on March 23. "China has been in close communication with other countries to discuss a reciprocal arrangement for vaccination," said spokesperson Hua Chunying that day. "As long as a measure helps to prevent and control the pandemic and facilitates interpersonal exchanges, we are open to it."

Source:globaltimes

Editor: Crystal H

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