Originally Posted by
moondog
I'm honestly optimistic that the current extreme insanity we're experiencing in Shanghai will settle down within a week or two. By way of analogy, I'm reminded of (extremely) premature product launches. There are A LOT of bugs in the current release, and the "company" is clearly learning on the fly. The thing is, even their most egregious mistakes can seemingly be remedied by employing sensible tweaks.
I highly doubt that zero-Covid is going to disappear within the next two months. However, if things return to the same level of "normal" we had just 6 days ago, I think you'll be able to have an enjoyable trip. Of course, I could be wrong, but you have nothing to lose by holding onto your ticket and making the final call close in.
I heard that +7 quarantine hotel policy (unless you have a residence in Shanghai) is already canceled by Shanghai authority. The reason: short of yellow code hotels.
It is insane to quarantine someone who already have gone through multiple negative tests over 14 day period. The risk is so much lower than current population in Shanghai. Simply a waste of quarantine resources.
It is my hope that PRC Embassy and Consulates in the US would also cancel the stupid 7 day departure city requirement. It serves no viable purpose other than making your life miserable.
Originally Posted by
travelinmanS
Absent a complete change of policy the situation here will continue to deteriorate. Covid zero whilst battling Omicron is a nightmare for anyone caught in the middle.
As moondog says you can keep your ticket right up until the day of before you cancel but I can’t see wanting to go through whatever you’d need to go through to get into China as being worth it unless you’re visiting a sick or dying family member.
China will be here for visiting once this madness is over, until then I would advise giving it a wide berth even at the risk of losing a screaming mileage ticket deal.
I also hold Sept. 1 return saver Y award at 35K miles and got upgrade confirmed PVG-SFO-EWR.
With this 7-day departure policy, I'll need to cancel 7 days before my flight SFO-PVG.
Otherwise I need to fly to SFO 7 days in advance and go through this messy 4 tests process.
Not sure when this madness will be over in China. Most optimistic view is November when the emperor gets re-elected again.