Beijing Under Quarantine: Different Strokes for Different Folks

Day 1 of Beijing’s mandatory quarantine for returnees has passed and expat residents across the city are finding interpretation and enforcement of it to be widely variable.

On the extreme end, some are being told they are unable to leave their apartments to even go into the hallway.

Meanwhile, on the lax end, some say their compounds are taking a fairly loose interpretation of the policy and doing next to nothing.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 roughly a month ago, Beijing has been urging residents to reduce all unnecessary exposure to groups of people, requesting them to avoid big dinners and visiting normally crowded areas of town. They’ve also strongly recommended that everyone undergo a self-administered 14-day quarantine in an attempt to break the chain of transmission.

Since then, many property management companies and neighborhood committees have taken steps to control the flow in and out of their compounds, in many cases closing all but one entrance.

Last night city officials upped the ante so to speak by making it mandatory that all returnees to the city undergo the two-week quarantine, as well as notify both their place of work and their residence in advance of their intention to return.

For most of us already in Beijing, this is nothing that we’ve not already gotten used to over the past few weeks.

A quick poll of the Safe & Sane in Beijing WeChat groups (which currently number over 2000 users) showed that most are comfortable at home, though a bit bored.

Respondents report that there are several levels of enforcement. Whether that is by intention or that areas simply haven’t had a chance to begin setting up enforcement remains to be seen.

On the loose end are some communities that have yet to establish entrance and exit checks at all, and residents are free to come in and out as they please, as well as receive deliveries directly to their door as usual.

In the middle range are those properties that are funneling residents through one gate, but are not restricting movements in and out.

Even tighter controls have been established in some developments where residents are given pass cards and are told they are only allowed out of their compound for essential trips, and no external visitors are allowed.

In two of the strictest cases we’ve heard of, newly returned residents are being asked to remain inside their apartments for 14 days, with all deliveries and trash removal handled by building management.

Residents at the high-end Ascott Riverside Garden Serviced Apartments received a letter dated yesterday (Feb 15) instructing all residents who have recently arrived to remain in their apartments for the next 14 days. “During that time, access to all public areas within the residence is not allowed, and that includes floor corridors,” the letter stated.

These residences will have a “Do Not Disturb” sign hung on the door, housekeeping will be suspended, and property management will assist residents with purchasing groceries and other essentials, management explained.

Hutong neighborhoods in Dongcheng and Xicheng are also reportedly being administered differently on a street-by-street basis.

Some expats residing near Nanluoguxiang and Houhai say they have been able to come and go with relative ease, while at least one resident has told us their street has been cordoned off completely and all those entering must register with their address and ID.

Expat residents in other areas of town report that tents have been set up at the entrance to their compounds featuring humidifiers filled with what is purported to be disinfectant. Residents pass through the tent on entry and exit. Others say maintenance staff with backpack style foggers have been spraying public areas.

Despite all the restrictions, most expats appear to be understanding of the rules and living by them, despite the inconvenience.

“I somehow feel local people are quite happy to see that we’re still around and have not run away in panic,” one foreign resident of Central Park remarked. “It’s a friendly atmosphere everywhere I go.”

Photo courtesy of Safe & Sane in Beijing users