My girlfriends planned the best trip for this weekend. Saturday morning they were going to board a train with brunch in hand and in 3 short(ish) hours they’d arrive in Kaifeng in Henan where we’d spend the weekend without the kids at the gorgeous Pullman Kaifeng Resort & Hotel sipping on Champagne and enjoying street food at the epic night market. But Covid travel restrictions tend to throw a monkey wrench in even the most well laid-out plans…

Last Saturday, Beijing officials said that with the upcoming long holiday over the weekend and the number of people returning to Beijing expected to increase, the city would be implementing stricter Covid prevention and control measures. They are strongly encouraging Beijingers to stay here this weekend instead of traveling outside of Beijing.

While they didn’t specifically say that traveling outside of Beijing is prohibited, you might be faced with a tougher time returning to make it back in time for work once your long weekend comes to an end.

For instance, yesterday (Sep 6) afternoon, my girlfriends received a notification that their return tickets from Kaifeng to Beijing on Monday Sep 12 had been canceled. The explanation given was simply that they were not allowed to return to Beijing from a different province (in this case Henan). They tried to purchase return tickets for a different day, but all came up with the same notification that train tickets back to Beijing were not allowed.

The kicker? While the return tickets were fully refunded, the departure tickets from Beijing were subjected to a 5% cancellation fee when my friends had to manually cancel them.

But luckily, Beijing’s full of lots of fun events this weekend, and some free ones like The Belt & Road Food Fest at Langyuan Station where 400+ tasty dishes from all around the world will all be in one place along with live entertainment and expected beautiful weather.

Images: Shu Qi, Pexels

Though international travel has been out of the question for most families this summer, domestic travel has still been on the table. Trips to sunny beach destinations like Sanya have been a popular choice for Beijing’s families.

But this past week, things seem to be taking a different turn, in what feels like a flashback to the early stages of the pandemic.

Amid the reports of the latest COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing, schools have begun notifying parents of delayed returns to school. As Jingkids reported on Monday, various international schools in Beijing have already issued notices to families that the starting date of the new school year will be pushed back to Sep 1. This is partly due to the latest spike in COVID-19 cases, but it is also due to the newly enforced government mandate to standardize school starting dates.

Several well-placed school personnel also informed us yesterday that the Beijing Education Commission is now requiring all faculty, staff, and students at all of the city’s schools to be present in Beijing for at least 21 days before being allowed on campus.

This is similar to a notice that was issued in the spring, but those previous precautionary measures only applied to teachers and staff. This latest meeting emphasized that the requirement to be present in Beijing prior to the start of school will apply to all members of the school, including students.

It is currently unclear if this is a blanket regulation for all schools at all grade levels. Some school communities say they’ve been told they only need to be present in Beijing for 14 days prior to the start of school.

Given that most schools are now targeting a start date of September 1, a 21-day requirement means those outside the city need to return to Beijing no later than August 11, five days from now.

Given how rapidly the situation is changing, we recommend everyone return to Beijing by Aug 11, even if you have not been specifically requested to. Better safe than sorry.

In addition, yesterday (Aug 5), a list of airports was published that require COVID-19 testing within 48 hours of flying to Beijing. As of today, the current list includes airports in Sanya, Changde, Zhangjiajie, Changsha, Zhuhai, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Haikou, Yinchuan, Dehong, Xiamen, Nanjing, Shanghai Pudong, Huai’an, Wuhu, Wuxi, Yangzhou, Yantai, Chongqing, Luzhou, Mianyang, Chengdu Tianfu, Chengdu Shuangliu, Yibin, Dalian, and Shenyang.

Currently, Beijing has not implemented mandatory social distancing measures like back in 2020. But we’d like to remind you to please stay safe. Get vaccinated if you haven’t done so already. The Beijinger has published a list of hospitals in Chaoyang where you can get the jab and will add a list of where to get vaccinated in other districts today. Continue to wear your masks and socially distance as much as possible for your own safety and for the safety of your loved ones and friends.

KEEP READING: Beijing International Schools Delay Start Dates Amid COVID Concerns

Images: Pexels

Let’s get real. No one expected we could travel outside of China by winter, right? Even so, many families began looking more inward, delving once again into guide books to learn what places within the country of China we could visit.

Then the school announcements came. Mine arrived right on cue, making it clear that their instructions were direct from the Chaoyang Education Committee, and specified that “traveling outside of Beijing is not encouraged; however, it is not banned.” This was consistent with other districts as well, including Shunyi. After speaking with a number of students, teachers, and schools themselves, a few guiding principles prevailed. We of course suggest that you check directly with your school, but these are good guidelines to understand:

• Everyone prefers that you stay put in Beijing.
• No one is stopping you from traveling elsewhere.
• If you travel outside of China and are able to return (that’s a big “if” from a lot of other countries, remember that you need to quarantine for at least 14 days, you may not have a choice of where you quarantine and will need to take multiple nucleic acid tests at various times before you can return to Beijing.
  • Some schools even went so far as to outline what equipment and the type of WiFi access students and teachers will need to bring with them in the event they are stuck outside of the country or must go into quarantine again.
  • At least one school specified that time in quarantine because of travel outside of Beijing is considered unpaid leave.
• If you travel to one of the high-risk areas (see list below and updated lists here) or an area becomes high-risk while you were there, you will need to report it to the school (each school with this system already in place has its own form). Remember that your Health Kit tracks where you’ve been.
  • You will also be required to submit the results of a negative nucleic acid test within seven days of returning to school. Some schools are unclear if this means the entire family or just the student. Check with your own school to make that distinction.
  • Some schools, though not all we spoke with, will also require a 14-day quarantine and nucleic acid test before returning to school from a high-risk area. Again, if you travel to a low or medium-risk area and the area becomes high risk while you’re there or soon after, this may apply to you.
  • There are some accounts of early education and lower primary teachers requiring a nucleic acid test if they return from high-risk areas, but not all.
• Many schools have some form of daily record for their students and/or staff where they state their location, general health, and temperatures. Stick to the truth on these forms.
• Any of these guidelines can change at any time, as new information is received.

As of publication, the China Government Network lists the following as high and medium risk areas, but continue to check for yourself…

High-risk areas:

• Tianjin Dongjiang Free Trade Port Area (Dongjiang Port Area) Kanhaixuan Community
• Dongshan Sub-district Office, Manzhouli City, Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Medium risk area:

• No. 4 Sub-district Office, Zhalai Nuoer District, Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
• South District Sub-district Office, Manzhouli City, Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
• North District Sub-district Office, Manzhouli City, Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
• Xinghua Street Office, Manzhouli City, Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
• Xinsheng Community, Zhuqiao Town, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
• Alley 450, Hangcheng 7th Road, Zhuqiao Town, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
• Tomorrow Huacheng Community, Zhoupu Town, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
• Lane 126, Shunhe Road, Zhangjiang Town, Pudong New Area, Shanghai

KEEP READING: Updated Winter Camps in Beijing and Beyond!

Images: Cindy Marie Jenkins