To Quarantine or Not To Quarantine: Confusion Reigns for Foreigners Returning from Overseas

Editor's Update: Since this story was originally publlished, the city goverment has announced that those returning from more than 14 days overseas will no longer be subject to a mandatory two-week quarantine.

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Since the announcement of a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine upon returning to Beijing, one question has been pouring through every English-language WeChat group: does this policy apply to foreigners who come into China from overseas?

As can happen, the answer has eluded onlookers due to the vague language of policy announcements that make no mention of either foreign passports or travel origins.

While common sense would dictate that someone returning from a country with next to zero infection rates would have a near-zero chance of having contacted the coronavirus, there is the chance of picking up the virus while in transit.

Up until yesterday, these announcements, when read literally, implied that all returning individuals must self-quarantine, regardless of where they are returning from or what passport they hold. It continues to be the case that if you’re coming from another part of China, you are expected to observe the 14-day quarantine.

However, starting Wednesday, several Beijing expats have reported receiving notice from their embassies that Beijing's Foreign Affairs Office has exempted some foreigners from the quarantine requirement.

They said: foreign passport holders returning after two weeks overseas and who land in either Beijing Capital International Airport or Daxing International Airport are not required to quarantine themselves, strictly speaking.

In search of an official answer

One of our foreign staff called the Foreign Affairs Office information hotline this morning (5557 4099 or 5557 4101) and confirmed this to be the case; however, a Chinese colleague dialing Beijing's city resident service hotline (12345) was told the opposite: the quarantine is in place no matter who you are or where you are traveling from.

When asked the policy for PRC passport holders returning from overseas, the office said it was not their purview as the foreign affairs office to address questions about Chinese citizens.

Furthermore, a post on Weibo by the Beijing Friendship Hospital claimed that there are exceptions to the quarantine rule if an individual meets the following criteria

• The traveler must be a foreign national;
• The traveler must have stayed at least 14 days outside of China before returning;
• The traveler must enter Beijing through Beijing Daxing International Airport or Beijing Capital International Airport, on a direct flight from another country. For example, if the traveler flies from Tokyo to Beijing, but transfers in Shanghai, then the traveler cannot be exempted from the 14-day quarantine rule.

Frustration among foreigners

As one WeChat commenter put it, "There is so much out there about prejudice and not making this a 'China' virus, yet, this policy is doing just that."

Things get even trickier when you consider who has the final say on the ground: a foreigner who has just returned from abroad or compound security and perhaps even their Chinese neighbors (many of whom may have themselves spent the last X days at home after an overseas trip) who are looking out for their best interests.

If this is indeed the policy (and things appear to be evolving on a daily if not hourly basis) it raises some other ugly questions that remain unanswered at this time, such as:

• If indeed true, why would Chinese nationals returning from abroad after two weeks need to observe the quarantine, while foreigners would not?
• Does it make sense that people coming from places such as Thailand, Singapore, and Japan, where infection rates are higher than in some of China's provinces, are not asked to observe the quarantine?
• What happens if you are a foreigner married to a Chinese citizen? One of you needs to quarantine and the other does not? What about your kids?
• And finally, how are people in this situation supposed to explain this to their building management?

With Beijing's tens of thousands of neighborhoods and complexes being left to adjudicate quarantine matters on their own (with varying results), it remains to be seen how this will play out on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.

As of 2pm this afternoon, the "Holy Grail" of a written statement in Chinese from the Foreign Affairs Office (WeChat ID: 北京外事) has not been posted through official channels, but we are on the hunt and will repost here if and when something is published.

Current official advice states that returning foreigners to observe the restrictions of your neighborhood, including temperature checks and signing in and out.

As for non-resident foreigners who are coming to visit Beijing, the situation might be even more complicated. A Sanlitun hotel informed the Beijinger that, while no official guidance has been passed down and nor is it expected, the hotel has been otherwise advised to cancel all bookings in order to ensure compliance with the quarantine rule. In the current climate, that could make traveling to Beijing as a tourist a rather tricky prospect.

If, on the other hand, you are a returning resident of Beijing, our advice is this: do the self-quarantine whether anyone tells you to or not. It’s the sensible and responsible thing to do, given that you cannot eliminate the possibility of virus transmission during travel.

This is an evolving situation. If you have questions or concerns, we suggest to contact one of the Foreign Affairs Office hotlines at 12345 (24 hour service in English and 7 other languages) or the FAO office directly during work hours at 5557 4099 or 5557 4101.

READ: Everything You Need to Know About Traveling Into and Out of China Right Now

Photo: mprnews.org