percysmith

They also include foreign permanent residents on PRC passports. I think they're thinking about the cases where Mainland expatriates returned home to visit family and contracted Coronavirus.

ezefllying

I wonder how booked up La Quinta is for President's Day. Since the U.S. is flying its Wuhan evacuees to ONT, I'd think taking over the resort for a couple weeks might be a good way to let everyone on the plane detox.

nowayout203

Looks like they're getting isolated in ONT for some time:

https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/c...71aab9af110753

percysmith

Mainland-HK travel restrictions:

Apple Daily contend Govt only closed the smaller ports https://hk.news.appledaily.com/local...HVZ3RZVXTLV2M/ . Not the big three - Lohu (pedestrian), Shenzhen Bay (coaches) or HKG airport.

Govt counters the main reduction is in endorsement/visa reductions - individual tourists (50%) and group tours (20%):

anacapamalibu

US Govt can deny USA citizens access to transportation to the USA and can tell airlines or passenger shipping lines to not board the citizen.

percysmith

If US did that tho, how can foreign countries accept US passports after this outbreak over?

Besides identification, one of the key features of a passport is a promise by the issuing country/territory to take the holder back.
That's why UK Border Force keeps having to find illegal immigrants passports (those already successfully entered the UK) for deportation
Some exceptions - BNO, Taiwanese NWOHR <-- that's why the latter gets much fewer visa exemption than Taiwanese passport holders with household registration.

I'm sure US can tell a carrier to hold someone for short-term quarantine purposes.
But US will have to pay for quarantining that person and his eventual return to the US.

889

From the ACLU:

"U.S. citizens have a right under the Fourteenth Amendment to return to U.S. territory after traveling abroad. Lawful permanent residents have a similar right to return to U.S. territory under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Therefore, when a U.S. citizen or permanent resident is denied boarding in a foreign country due to apparent inclusion on the No Fly List, the U.S. government must help them secure approval to return to the United States via a commercial flight. The government may not use the No Fly List to prevent U.S. citizens or permanent residents from returning home to U.S. territory."

As said, U.S. citizens cannot be barred directly or indirectly by the Government from returning to the U.S. The ACLU lists the steps to be followed if you are denied boarding overseas.

https://www.aclu.org/know-your-right...e-no-fly-list/

nk15

So, why did they fly only one planeload of US diplomats and select citizens back from Wuhan, how about the other 750 US citizens or so left behind? Why not do a couple more evacuation flights?

anacapamalibu

In due time citizens could return. How long that time may be is unknown.

The No Fly List is a small subset of the U.S. government Terrorist Screening Database (also known as the terrorist watchlist) that contains the identity information of known or suspected terrorists.

889

If there's enough political pressure maybe they will. But the State Department like any bureaucracy first looks after its own.

In any event, the Government is under no legal obligation to evacuate Americans overseas who find themselves in perilous locations. It just can't bar them from re-entry if they manage to get out themselves.

There are few absolutes in law when it comes to a citizen's rights. But the right of an American citizen to return to the U.S. is indeed absolute.

percysmith

It's not the US won't take them back, it's the PRC authorities won't let them go as part of the general Wuhan quarantine.

AFAIK PRC authorities will let them go if they can repatriated without infecting people in other Chinese cities along the way i.e. as direct evacuation flights.

wco81

I read that patient zero may have been infected on 12/1/19 but he didn't go anywhere near the wet market before getting infected.

anacapamalibu

US State Department has policies regarding evacuation of non emergency U.S. government employees

nk15

That's what I mean, why not do 2-3 more direct flights out of Wuhan to get all the US citizens out who want to leave, is it a money issue?

anacapamalibu

Will the United States Government always evacuate citizens in crises?

Our primary role is to keep the U.S. citizen community informed of safety and security developments and travel options. Regularly scheduled commercial transportation is always the best option when local communications and transportation infrastructure are intact and operating normally. If there are no commercial options available, and if we have consular officers at the embassy or consulate, and if the conditions permit, we may help U.S. citizens identify possible transportation options. In some situations, we may encourage you to stay at a safe location and leave as soon as you can do so safely, using transportation you are able to find on your own.
https://travel.state.gov/content/tra...do-crisis.html