US tells some consulate staff to leave Shanghai as Covid outbreak worsens

State department cites risk of children and parents being separated as EU warns zero-Covid strategy eroding investor confidence

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The US has said it has asked all its non-essential staff and their family members at the Shanghai consulate to leave, in Washington's latest response to the financial hub's handling of the worsening Covid outbreak.

The state department ordered the departure due to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak" there, according to a spokesperson from its Beijing embassy. It is best for our employees and their families to be reduced in number and our operations to be scaled down as we deal with the changing circumstances on the ground," the person said on Tuesday.