Jamie Freed and Stella Qiu

BEIJING/SYDNEY – Dwight Law was killed in November. The Shanghai-based U.S. expat flew home to Kansas to tend to family matters.

Law runs an architectural and design business in Shanghai. Law was expecting to return there last week.

Due to COVID-19-positive passengers on their arrival in China, dozens of US flights were suspended. Law’s company is now facing a serious threat.

Law stated, “Now, with no flights scheduled. I am currently blocked out of China. Away from my family and wife, and unable to attend to business. “I employ 50 people in China. My presence is essential for the success of the company and each individual’s livelihood.

International capacity from China to other countries was only 2% before these flight cancellations. China has a zero-COVID policy that bans all forms of corruption and keeps them out of any future cases.

Bank of America (NYSE) Securities analysts indicated that they expect the zero-COVID mentality to remain for much of 2022. It is bad news for China’s 845,000 foreign national passport holders, a figure already decreasing since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to flight master, China’s aviation regulator cancelled 143 flights in January as Omicron spreads around the world.

It was also the largest monthly increase since it began a policy to suspend flights in positive cases.

One of the greatest challenges facing companies in China is the suspension of flights, which include certain services to Europe, according to the spokesperson of the Europe Chamber of Commerce.

The spokesperson stated that “the recent cancellations sent a clear signal that China won’t deviate form its current strategy”. She was referring to zero-COVID.

Graphic: China’s international flight suspensions – https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-AVIATION/USA-FLIGHTS/lbvgnjerbpq/chart.png

China requires that passengers have completed expensive COVID testing seven days prior to boarding their flight. This creates problems for Law and other travellers who do not reside in U.S. cities that have direct flights.

U.S. China travellers are required to follow strict guidelines in transit hubs. This includes Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Korea.

Google (NASDAQ): A Reuters Flights Search shows that no flight from San Francisco to Shanghai is available until March, at any price.

Jing Quan (minister of Chinese embassy in USA) said Beijing was working closely with U.S. State Department on balancing the amount of commercial flights to China. He said that charter flights to China for Olympic athletes were not affected.

The impact on cargo has been also less. China Southern Airlines told the U.S. Department of Transportation that it plans to fly superjumbo A380s loaded with cargo, but passengers will travel in the reverse direction.

Hainan Airlines was approved by the U.S. for passenger-only cargo flights, while China Eastern has applied to have a similar approval.

Although it is an important comfort for exporters, this provides no relief to lawless travellers.

I’m afraid that COVID will never go away. He said that it was here to stay. He said, “China is going to close its borders over the next 5-10 years, while the rest of the world learns how to live, manage and protect herds.” It’s nuts.”