On Friday, the State Department announced that non-emergency personnel could leave the consulate voluntarily. It is not clear why the departure of these workers has become mandatory. “The change in posture reflects our appreciation that it is better for our employees and their families to be reduced in number and our activities to be reduced as we face changing ground conditions,” the department said Monday. China responded angrily to a previous order to leave voluntarily. The most controversial of Shanghai practices was the separation of Covid-positive children from their parents. Authorities have since made some concessions. The State Department mentioned the risk of separation of parents and children in Monday’s announcement. Shanghai is battling the worst Covid-19 epidemic in China since the Wuhan virus first appeared in late 2019. The U.S. order comes as Chinese authorities began easing lockdowns in some parts of Shanghai on Monday, despite reporting a record 25,000 new Covid cases. The country’s most populous city said it would allow what city official Gu Honghui said was “appropriate activity” in some neighborhoods where there have been no positive cases for at least two weeks. Residents of these neighborhoods are not allowed to travel to those that are still under severe lockdown. “Each region will announce the specific names of the first batch [of communities]”, Gu said in a news release. It is not clear how many residents are going to immediately relax the lockdowns. On Tuesday, Shanghai reported 22,348 new asymptomatic coronavirus cases and 994 symptomatic cases as of April 11, the local government said. Asymptomatic cases decreased from 25,173 the previous day. The incidence increased from 914. Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report
