Beijing: Indian Consulate Shanghai announced the suspension of in-person consular services as China’s glittering business hub, with 26 million people grapples with rising Covid-19 cases, put the country’s dynamic zero-case policy to the test Is.
In a notice issued on Tuesday, the Consulate said that Indian citizens in the East China region can apply to the Embassy of India, Beijing, to avail consular services immediately.
“As the city of Shanghai continues to be sealed and controlled to varying degrees by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, the Consulate General of India will remain inaccessible and will not be in a position to provide consular services in person,” the notice posted. Mission’s official website.
“During this period, the consulate will remain operational in remote mode and can be reached for any consular emergency,” it said, providing mobile and phone numbers to contact the staff.
In-person services mean the extension of passport, verification of documents among other such functions.
The consulate’s notice came as Shanghai, China’s largest city, continues to be under a massive spread of the Omicron version, prompting officials to continue with the lockdown.
China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said on Wednesday that the city of Shanghai has recorded 1,189 positive and 25,141 new asymptomatic cases, the 11th consecutive day of high cases, with the number of infections once again crossing 26,000 This has put immense pressure on the city’s health system.
Other provinces in China have also reported increasing numbers of cases. Jilin province reported 233 cases, followed by Guangdong with 22, Hainan 14 and Zhejiang 12.
Overall, 26,525 asymptomatic cases have been reported in the country, most of them from Shanghai, the commission said.
“New cases have not peaked yet, and achieving a dynamic zero-Covid target will take some time,” said Meng Tianning, a senior executive at Shanghai-based consultancy Domo Medical.
Meng told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, “The central government and local authorities will have to re-examine the strategy used to contain the outbreak, after more than a week of city lockdowns and mass testing exercises.” ”
Although Indian Consulate in Shanghai Consul General D Nandakumar said that while in-person services have been suspended, it is currently providing much-needed assistance, including counseling, to over 1,000 Indian nationals based in the city.
Nandakumar told PTI here that at present around 22 members of the consulate are working from their homes.
While there are no reports of cases among staff and Indian expatriates, the consulate is in touch with community members through neighborhood committees to provide ambulance services as well as transport to the airport through designated agencies .
Nandakumar said that as the city authorities supplied food and vegetables to lakhs of people under lockdown, the consulate through the local government is trying to make arrangements to distribute Indian groceries to Indian families.
Shanghai has been trying to contain the spread of coronavirus cases since March 28, by a strict lockdown and mass testing, mostly according to the Omicron version.
In addition to building several makeshift hospitals to accommodate the growing number of cases, China also pressed more than 30,000 health workers, mostly from the military, to deal with the crisis.
Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday that there was growing discontent over the prolonged lockdown.
“There have been sad reports of shouting from homes of people in long-term confinement, as well as lack of food, medical needs and pets being put to death by enthusiastic pandemic activists,” the report said. has gone.
“While the Shanghai outbreak shows no signs of easing, there are also concerns for another Covid-19 hotspot 2,000 km away in the northern province of Jilin. Its capital Changchun has been under lockdown since March 11, when 160 local infections were reported,” it said.
On Tuesday, the US ordered non-emergency government employees at its Shanghai consulate to leave the city due to a stringent lockdown to stem a COVID-19 escalation.
China strongly criticized the US move, saying that the local government has provided as much assistance and convenience to foreign diplomatic and consular personnel in China as possible.
“We condemn and reject America’s politicization and instrumentalization of the personnel departure issue. We have made serious representations with the American side. The US must immediately stop attacking China’s anti-epidemic policies, political under the pretext of the pandemic.” Manipulation must stop and China must stop smearing,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told media here on Tuesday.
In a notice issued on Tuesday, the Consulate said that Indian citizens in the East China region can apply to the Embassy of India, Beijing, to avail consular services immediately.
“As the city of Shanghai continues to be sealed and controlled to varying degrees by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, the Consulate General of India will remain inaccessible and will not be in a position to provide consular services in person,” the notice posted. Mission’s official website.
“During this period, the consulate will remain operational in remote mode and can be reached for any consular emergency,” it said, providing mobile and phone numbers to contact the staff.
In-person services mean the extension of passport, verification of documents among other such functions.
The consulate’s notice came as Shanghai, China’s largest city, continues to be under a massive spread of the Omicron version, prompting officials to continue with the lockdown.
China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said on Wednesday that the city of Shanghai has recorded 1,189 positive and 25,141 new asymptomatic cases, the 11th consecutive day of high cases, with the number of infections once again crossing 26,000 This has put immense pressure on the city’s health system.
Other provinces in China have also reported increasing numbers of cases. Jilin province reported 233 cases, followed by Guangdong with 22, Hainan 14 and Zhejiang 12.
Overall, 26,525 asymptomatic cases have been reported in the country, most of them from Shanghai, the commission said.
“New cases have not peaked yet, and achieving a dynamic zero-Covid target will take some time,” said Meng Tianning, a senior executive at Shanghai-based consultancy Domo Medical.
Meng told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, “The central government and local authorities will have to re-examine the strategy used to contain the outbreak, after more than a week of city lockdowns and mass testing exercises.” ”
Although Indian Consulate in Shanghai Consul General D Nandakumar said that while in-person services have been suspended, it is currently providing much-needed assistance, including counseling, to over 1,000 Indian nationals based in the city.
Nandakumar told PTI here that at present around 22 members of the consulate are working from their homes.
While there are no reports of cases among staff and Indian expatriates, the consulate is in touch with community members through neighborhood committees to provide ambulance services as well as transport to the airport through designated agencies .
Nandakumar said that as the city authorities supplied food and vegetables to lakhs of people under lockdown, the consulate through the local government is trying to make arrangements to distribute Indian groceries to Indian families.
Shanghai has been trying to contain the spread of coronavirus cases since March 28, by a strict lockdown and mass testing, mostly according to the Omicron version.
In addition to building several makeshift hospitals to accommodate the growing number of cases, China also pressed more than 30,000 health workers, mostly from the military, to deal with the crisis.
Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday that there was growing discontent over the prolonged lockdown.
“There have been sad reports of shouting from homes of people in long-term confinement, as well as lack of food, medical needs and pets being put to death by enthusiastic pandemic activists,” the report said. has gone.
“While the Shanghai outbreak shows no signs of easing, there are also concerns for another Covid-19 hotspot 2,000 km away in the northern province of Jilin. Its capital Changchun has been under lockdown since March 11, when 160 local infections were reported,” it said.
On Tuesday, the US ordered non-emergency government employees at its Shanghai consulate to leave the city due to a stringent lockdown to stem a COVID-19 escalation.
China strongly criticized the US move, saying that the local government has provided as much assistance and convenience to foreign diplomatic and consular personnel in China as possible.
“We condemn and reject America’s politicization and instrumentalization of the personnel departure issue. We have made serious representations with the American side. The US must immediately stop attacking China’s anti-epidemic policies, political under the pretext of the pandemic.” Manipulation must stop and China must stop smearing,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told media here on Tuesday.