As Shanghai battles covid, Indians asked to contact Beijing embassy

Beijing, Apr 13: As Shanghai, remains sealed over a surge in Covid cases, the Consulate General of India in China's financial hub, will remain shut and will not be able to provide services. Indians have been asked to contact the embassy in Beijing for the time being.

"As the City of Shanghai continues to remain sealed and controlled in different degrees by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, the Consulate General of India will remain inaccessible and will not be in a position to provide consular services in person," state a statement from the Consulate General of India, Shanghai.

"Indian citizens in Eastern China Region may apply at Embassy of India, Beijing for availing urgent consular services," the statement read.

"In case, if an applicant is not in a position to present the documents in person at the Embassy of India, Beijing they may authorize any representative with a proper authorization letter to pay the fee and get the Consular/Passport Services availed from the Embassy," the Consulate General said.

The Consulate will remain operational in remote mode and may be reached for any consular emergency at Mobile number: +86 189 3031 4575 / 183 1716 0736.

Shanghai, which is reeling under a massive outbreak of coronavirus cases.

The sudden rise of cases has led to the much-criticised lockdown of the city of 26 million people amid public criticism of the separation of children from parents in hospitals and testing centres as well distribution of food supplies to the people who were confined for days to the apartment blocks.

The recurring spikes of coronavirus cases in number of cities in the last few months including Xian, Shenzhen, Jilin province, Beijing, Hong Kong and now Shanghai leading to mass lockdowns raised question marks about the rigid dynamic zero-COVID policy, which China claims largely kept the country safe from the coronavirus pandemic which first emerged in Wuhan in December, 2019.