The US orders the departure of consulate staff and family members from Shanghai due to the Covid-19 wave

SINGAPORE – The US State Department ordered the departure of all non-emergency US Consulate staff and their families from Shanghai as the city’s health officials announced more than 23,000 new daily infections.

The “ordered departure,” which came just days after the State Department gave the green light for employees to leave voluntarily, “means we are now mandating certain employees to leave Shanghai, rather than making that decision voluntarily,” he said a US embassy spokesman in a statement on Tuesday.