Originally Posted by UA_Flyer (Post 33970189)

My third week was at Hyatt House near Hongqiao airport. Because my reservation was made before Jan 17 (before the new requirements only selected hotels can take +7 guests), the local district and Hyatt House honored my reservation, but the hotel has stopped taking +7 reservations after Jan 17. My stay was exclusively inside the hotel room and limited time in the lobby area to collect my food delvieries. I could not leave the hotel. Hotel doesn't provide food but I can order room services. No daily cleaning and I can request for clean towls and water, which delivered using the robots. I could not go anywhere outside because the health code was yellow, so if I did leave the hotel, I cannot get back in because the code was not green.

I heard other hotels are more restrict on the +7 stay, which is exactly the same as the previous 14-day isolated stay. At least I can go down to the lobby to collect my food deliveries. We had a Wechat chatroom for the Jan 9 UA passengers. Some of them got really bad deals when they arrived at their destinations. They were put into less desirable places for isolated quarantine for up to another 14-days.

Originally Posted by GloballyServiced (Post 33969915)

The 3rd round of this is what did me in. It’s gotten worse every time. The first two were “passable” but the third I was just wondering what I was doing with my life.

Not coming back again until these policies are gone. That may never happen.

Unless you have a major ability to make a huge income in a short time frame in China that you cannot make outside of China, I don’t see how you can continue selling yourself on this way of life.

Not to mention that life within China has become incredibly redundant and boring. Domestic travel in China is a complete nightmare and you run a serious risk of getting another quarantine under your belt just for going to the wrong place at the wrong time. I now know of 3 people that are sitting in a centralized lockdown (14 day sentence) as I type this because they traveled over CNY and someone was a “close contact.” So life in China is basically a series of alcohol abuse and over eating in your local metropolis.

Originally Posted by UA_Flyer (Post 33970189)

My third week was at Hyatt House near Hongqiao airport. Because my reservation was made before Jan 17 (before the new requirements only selected hotels can take +7 guests), the local district and Hyatt House honored my reservation, but the hotel has stopped taking +7 reservations after Jan 17. My stay was exclusively inside the hotel room and limited time in the lobby area to collect my food delvieries. I could not leave the hotel. Hotel doesn't provide food but I can order room services. No daily cleaning and I can request for clean towls and water, which delivered using the robots. I could not go anywhere outside because the health code was yellow, so if I did leave the hotel, I cannot get back in because the code was not green.

I heard other hotels are more restrict on the +7 stay, which is exactly the same as the previous 14-day isolated stay. At least I can go down to the lobby to collect my food deliveries. We had a Wechat chatroom for the Jan 9 UA passengers. Some of them got really bad deals when they arrived at their destinations. They were put into less desirable places for isolated quarantine for up to another 14-days.

Originally Posted by narvik (Post 33970228)

Oh. :(
Thanks very much for the info. I hope those circumstances/conditions will have relaxed by the time I re-enter China, likely around October/November 2022...
Doesn't sound like fun as it is right now.
(The highlight of my whole late 2021 arrival experience was the 3rd week in Shanghai.)

Originally Posted by kb1992 (Post 33971420)

I fully anticipate that most of the world would open, Europe, S. America, and most of Asia. How long will China's zero COVID policy continue?

Planning a spring break trip to SIN and Thailand next month, I am very excited.

The trip to China in summer becomes more and more dreadful.

Originally Posted by gudugan (Post 33971573)

Originally Posted by kb1992 (Post 33971420)

I am seriously considering to cancel my upcoming trip to China in summer.

Originally Posted by narvik (Post 33972251)

I recommend to DEFINITELY hang on to that flight until the last minute.
Should there be less restrictions by summer (unlikely, but possible), there will be 50x more flights flying, and 1000x more people wanting to suddenly go.
I recommend to DEFINITELY hang on to that flight until the last minute!

Originally Posted by kb1992 (Post 33971420)

I am seriously considering to cancel my upcoming trip to China in summer.

I have the best airfare deal: 35K saver Y award each way on United, and expect to get upgraded to J (the return PVG-SFO already cleared).

But this kind of forced quarantine 14+7+.... is pushing the limit. The Kingdom is testing my tolerance. Although I have 2 cell phones and should have the green code on the second phone, I wonder if I risk arrest should I use the 2nd phone to go out of hotel when the 1st phone shows yellow code.

No fun to travel inside China with this massive paranoid and arbitrary detention (quarantine) when a city has ONE case.

Not to mention this stupid 7-day self quarantine at departure city SFO required by the PRC Consulate. Whose idea? Seriously?

The trip to China in summer becomes more and more dreadful.

Originally Posted by UA_Flyer (Post 33972419)

Why bother if you have no business reasons ( likely won’t be the reasons for me to make the jump) or significant personal reasons to do so?

Taking advantage of a saver Y award with upgrade is not a reason to make the trip. It is not just the quarantine, travel restrictions and testings before, during and after the trip, there is not much going on to “enjoy” during your visit unless you have family here.

I had ten PCR tests between Jan 7 and Feb 7 during my monthly long “journey” from DC to Beijing, and most of the time except for 2 days at the beginning and 2 days at the end were in quarantine.

Originally Posted by joesk (Post 33972519)

Can anyone please share any info on the procedure if foreign resident (work permit visa) tests positive either in quarantine/isolation or by random surveillance test out in the wild? I’ve looked around but not really found much current info. Are you immediately admitted to a hospital or like in US you can stay home? Thanks

Originally Posted by joesk (Post 33972519)

Can anyone please share any info on the procedure if foreign resident (work permit visa) tests positive either in quarantine/isolation or by random surveillance test out in the wild? I’ve looked around but not really found much current info. Are you immediately admitted to a hospital or like in US you can stay home? Thanks

Originally Posted by travelinmanS (Post 33972632)

You will go to the Covid hospital until your body shows no traces of Covid on their super sensitive PCR tests twice in a row. This could take 2 weeks or many months but until you get these 2 tests you’re stuck in the Covid hospital. Usually shared room with other Covid positive foreigners. Once you clear the 2 Covid tests you’re sent back to regular quarantine hotel for 3 weeks normal quarantine before you’re released.

This is in Shanghai, usually the most “liberal” place when it comes to Covid restrictions. I’d add a few weeks of quarantine to that timeline if anywhere else in China. So testing positive gets you anywhere from 6 weeks to half a year in basically what is jail.

Originally Posted by kb1992 (Post 33972640)

can you request exit from China if tested positive (assuming some carrier is willing to take you)

Originally Posted by travelinmanS (Post 33972632)

You will go to the Covid hospital until your body shows no traces of Covid on their super sensitive PCR tests twice in a row. This could take 2 weeks or many months but until you get these 2 tests you’re stuck in the Covid hospital. Usually shared room with other Covid positive foreigners. Once you clear the 2 Covid tests you’re sent back to regular quarantine hotel for 3 weeks normal quarantine before you’re released.

This is in Shanghai, usually the most “liberal” place when it comes to Covid restrictions. I’d add a few weeks of quarantine to that timeline if anywhere else in China. So testing positive gets you anywhere from 6 weeks to half a year in basically what is jail.

Originally Posted by GloballyServiced (Post 33973023)

This, although I thought it was 3 tests. I have one friend of a friend who had this happen during his arrival quarantine, and 2 months later he finally got cleared enough to just fly home and erase China from his life.

Testing positive for covid is about like being convicted of a moderate crime in China. Somewhere between dealing drugs and vehicular manslaughter. And a nice duffel bag of RMB can get you out of those but not out of a covid positive test.