Returning to Beijing
One thing I've been worried about this summer is what will happen when we return to Beijing because of the Swine Flu. Swine Flu has pretty much dropped off the radar here in the US but in China it is still a serious subject.
On Sunday Randy flew back to Beijing. When he was in Chicago waiting for his flight to board, a few announcements were made to the passengers. One was that anyone whose travels had taken through Mexico should expect to be quarantined, with or without flu symptoms. All received a hand-out, both in English and Chinese, about the Flu.
When Randy got back to our apartment, he called into his office and learned that he was to stay home for seven days. He was not to go to work and avoid "populous areas" and public transportation. This was similar to what happened to one of my American friends in Shenzhen when they returned from a US trip in May. Their four-year-old daughter was not allowed back in her Chinese preschool for one week after their return.
So with all this going on, I asked Randy about how he was to report to the police station within 24 hours of his return as a condition of our residence visas. He had asked his boss about that, and apparently that requirement has stopped. Additionally, this sign at the entrance to our apartment complex is no longer there. So, yea! in addition to a possible quarantine we have new visa rules to look forward to when the kids and I return to Beijing in three weeks.
On Sunday Randy flew back to Beijing. When he was in Chicago waiting for his flight to board, a few announcements were made to the passengers. One was that anyone whose travels had taken through Mexico should expect to be quarantined, with or without flu symptoms. All received a hand-out, both in English and Chinese, about the Flu.
When Randy got back to our apartment, he called into his office and learned that he was to stay home for seven days. He was not to go to work and avoid "populous areas" and public transportation. This was similar to what happened to one of my American friends in Shenzhen when they returned from a US trip in May. Their four-year-old daughter was not allowed back in her Chinese preschool for one week after their return.
So with all this going on, I asked Randy about how he was to report to the police station within 24 hours of his return as a condition of our residence visas. He had asked his boss about that, and apparently that requirement has stopped. Additionally, this sign at the entrance to our apartment complex is no longer there. So, yea! in addition to a possible quarantine we have new visa rules to look forward to when the kids and I return to Beijing in three weeks.
Comments