Coronavirus - those in China, and general discussion

[mungouk]

4 minutes ago, roddy said:

dodgy lager!

 

After 14 days in a south-facing room with no aircon (or fridge), a COLD beer of any persuasion tastes surprisingly good.

 

Being able to walk for more than 5 steps without having to turn left, right, or 180 degrees is also a major bonus.

 

(this was just doing the Blue Frog Monday night happy hour thing... proper craft beers were later consumed.)

 

[roddy]

I'm just jealous, pubs still not serving alcohol here.

[Jim]

It is odd here with life being almost back to normal as the kids are too young for big school and I rarely go into the city. Have to make a point to remember a mask if I take public transport and needed the health app taking the baby for his shots at a clinic the other week but otherwise it's much as before. No more checks on the village entrance, though see they've left enough kit in place so the barriers can go up quickly again as they briefly did a while back.

[mungouk]

Yes it does feel somewhat "normal" here in Hangzhou, although I'm not really sure what means any more.

 

Everyone is wearing masks on the 地铁 and in Didis/taxis, but apart from that it seems pretty relaxed.

 

I have a green QR code now, which magically appeared under a Health Code mini-program in Alipay when I was released from quarantine. Haven't had chance to show it to anyone yet... I went to the "Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine" place to get my medical done this morning and they weren't interested in seeing it. I've heard some shopping malls are demanding to see it before you can go in. 

 

Actually, I took along the results from my UK medical (cost £355, about ¥3100) and they accepted them instead of doing a new exam, except for the chest X-ray because I didn't have it. So I had a chest X-ray, paid ¥55 (£6.20) and I was done... I'll collect my certificate on Friday.

[Jim]

1 minute ago, mungouk said:

I have a green QR code now, which magically appeared under a Health Code mini-program in Alipay when I was released from quarantine. Haven't had chance to show it to anyone yet...

I had a problem with the initial iteration of the Health Kit for foreigners because it didn't work scanning QR codes needed to access various venues. I could usually just generate a healthy report and get let in but I noticed last time it's working as expected now and brings up your ID and health status scanning the same code as citizens. Think that was on a visit to the tax office a couple of weeks back.

[mackie1402]

3 hours ago, mungouk said:

Everyone is wearing masks on the 地铁 and in Didis/taxis,

 

This is a requirement. It used to be that you also needed to show your green health code, but they stopped that about a month ago. Now it's just a mask mandate for public transport. 

 

3 hours ago, mungouk said:

I've heard some shopping malls are demanding to see it before you can go in. 

 

This is kind of the opposite of the green code and public transport situation. A few months ago, none of the shopping centers I went to used to ask for the health code, even though they'd have the signs up. However, just before I left Hangzhou last week, a lot of big ones were putting up signs with security guards and temperature monitoring. I know MixC and the Apple shop require masks and a health code, and I think Ruffles did, too. Last time I went, Kerry Centre didn't need one though. That'll probably change again soon. 

A few friends that work at the hospitals have said they're already stocked up and fully prepared for another outbreak, just in case. 

 

Have fun in Hangzhou! I'm already missing the convenience of everything! 

[dangran]

Does anybody think its realistic that China will open student visa applications for Spring semester 2021? 

 

I could have never thought that China will be closed for this long. And instead of gradual opening, it seems to be doing the opposite. I'm so desperate to enter China again, but because I do not have a work place or residence permit there, it is impossible. Anyone else here in the same situation as me?  Surely this can't go on forever? 

 

This week I have been cooking 卤蛋 (soy marinated eggs) at home, and just the smell of that 五香 (five-spice powder) breaks my heart a little. 

[889]

Sincere advice: Don't waste your life sitting around twiddling your thumbs in the vain expectation China will re-open to you. Just assume it's over and make your plans based on what you can do, not what you can't.

[roddy]

Are universities taking applications? Anticipate extra hassles and a quarantine period, and have a Plan B (which you could get started on now), but no reason you can't go ahead with an application if so.

 

Start of the spring term is what, 3-4 months away? Nobody knows what'll have happened by then, but you'd kind of hope things will be... better.

[889]

Have you forgotten the new blacklist? Even if Dangran gets admitted, if he's in the UK or another country on the list he will not get his visa processed.

 

Time to stop smelling those soy-cooked eggs and wake up and smell the coffee instead.

[mungouk]

Sure, there's no harm in applying now.

 

Rules are changing very frequently at the moment and nobody can predict what the situation will be in 3 months time.

 

Having a Plan B and a Plan C (at least) is also very good advice. 

 

Welcome to the forums, @dangran. 

[realmayo]

I'm sure 889's advice is good for the short-term but I'm not sure it holds for longer-term planning. Though any longer-term plans should never assume that China will remain open to foreigners anyway.

[roddy]

That's not one of the many things I've no doubt forgotten. It's months away. Who knows where we'll be then. I wouldn't rely on it, but as long as you aren't incurring large non-refundable expenses, I'd move ahead  - a lot of the research and effort will still be valuable if it ends up getting pushed back to the following semester.

 

Dangran, where would you be coming from, and what kind of studies are you looking at?

 

[dangran]

3 hours ago, roddy said:

Are universities taking applications? Anticipate extra hassles and a quarantine period, and have a Plan B (which you could get started on now), but no reason you can't go ahead with an application if so.

 

Hey, it seems like universities indeed are taking applications. But that of course doesn't mean anything. And yeah, I'm well prepared for all the hassle and hotel quarantine. Since last spring, I've had the same nightmare four times where I'm force quarantined in a Chinese hotel! I guess I'm doing some unconscious mental preparing  

 

3 hours ago, 889 said:

Have you forgotten the new blacklist? Even if Dangran gets admitted, if he's in the UK or another country on the list he will not get his visa processed.

 

I come from an European country with the second best covid situation (I believe Vatican is number one?  ), and I don't see us getting on the blacklist unless something really dramatic happens, there's also a direct flight from here to China. But even though it doesn't concern me, I feel very bad for those who have been waiting to re-enter China for the past half a year and now got blacklisted. What a setback.

 

2 hours ago, mungouk said:

Rules are changing very frequently at the moment and nobody can predict what the situation will be in 3 months time.

 

Having a Plan B and a Plan C (at least) is also very good advice. 

 

Welcome to the forums, @dangran. 

 

Yeah things are changing constantly. And this week we heard some great news about the vaccine!  Of course I didn't expect any of you to have some secret information about China's next move with the restrictions, just wanted to see how other people perceive this travel ban  And thanks, Mungouk, I've been lurking in the forums for YEARS but the past months I've been mainly following this coronavirus thread here, including your journey! I thought I should finally contribute to the conversation. I admit I've put everything else in life on hold because I've been naively wishing that the travel bans ease soon, you guys are right about having some backup plans in case theres no improvement within the next 3,4,5 months. 

[889]

" . . . and nobody can predict what the situation will be in 3 months time."

 

I certainly can: in three months' time China's restrictions on entry from Britain will remain in place. (February 11, if you want to check back.)

 

Those of an uncautiously optimistic frame of mind should bear in mind a couple of points:

 

1. The trend towards more restrictions not less since Spring.

 

2. The test for loosening restrictions is always more stringent than for imposing them.

 

[roddy]

2 hours ago, dangran said:

Hey, it seems like universities indeed are taking applications. But that of course doesn't mean anything.

 

2 hours ago, dangran said:

I come from an European country with the second best covid situation

Good luck then! Let us know what you decide and how you get on, and glad you've finally started posting.

[大块头]

article in the New York Times about China's antibody testing requirement

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/health/coronavirus-testing-china-travel.html

 

[mungouk]

In Shanghai it seems IgM testing has been inconsistent in quarantine as well... some of my colleagues here had a blood test before leaving QT along with another PCR test, but some of us — including me — didn't have one. We just had the PCR test.

 

 

[pan.kasper]

With all the new vaccine updates, how do you guys think it will affect Chinese border policies? Any hope that people would be let back in after showing some sort of certificate of having been vaccinated? 

I'm curious what are your thoughts on that. It gave me a glimpse of hope that after nearly a year of being separated from all my belonings, I could finally go back to my home in Hangzhou in a few months. 

[889]

So far as I can gather, there's no confidence at least at this stage that vaccination prevents you from transmitting the virus. That is, you can be vaccinated yet could still be contagious to others. Until it's shown the vaccines also prevent transmission I'd expect no big change in travel restrictions.