U.S. warns against travel to China due to Covid wave, harsh measures

The United States has warned against travel to China amid a growing coronavirus outbreak and controversial measures in place to curb it.

The U.S. State Department issued a new travel advisory Friday night urging citizens to reconsider travel to China.

It warned against travel to Hong Kong, Jilin province and Shanghai due to Covid-19 restrictions, including the risk of parents and children being separated. For Hong Kong it also warned of the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.

All non-emergency U.S. consulate staff and their families in Shanghai have been given permission to depart. This is likely to shut down regular operations at the Shanghai consulate until further notice.

China is experiencing its worst coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began two years ago.

Among the worst hit are Shanghai on China's central coast and the cities of Shenyang and Changchun in China's north-east. Wide-ranging restrictions on movement are in effect due to China's strict zero-Covid policy. A total of 38 million people live in the three cities.

Anyone who is infected in China must go to a hospital or a quarantine facility.

The practice of separating small children from their parents prompted a backlash. In Shanghai, authorities on Wednesday that uninfected parents there could apply to accompany children in need of support into isolation.