The US state department has ordered non-essential workers to leave its consulate in Shanghai after authorities imposed China’s most severe citywide lockdown in two years to rein in a coronavirus outbreak.
The command was delivered just days after the department said staff could voluntarily depart and warned US citizens against travelling to China because of “arbitrary enforcement of local laws and Covid-19 related restrictions”.
“Our change in posture reflects our assessment that it is best for our employees and their families to be reduced in number and our operations to be scaled down as we deal with the changing circumstances on the ground,” the state department said on Tuesday.