Coronavirus in China

[Eikokurai]

21 minutes ago, Otokonoyama said:

Hopefully your father is well, and has tested negative for the virus. That is my sincere wish.

Thanks. He seems to be. His wife has tested negative and she’s at greater risk than him obviously. He can pretty much only have got it from her as he’s home most of the time. He was still waiting for his result when I last asked. I should follow up with him.

[Otokonoyama]

32 minutes ago, Eikokurai said:

Thanks. He seems to be. His wife has tested negative and she’s at greater risk than him obviously. He can pretty much only have got it from her as he’s home most of the time. He was still waiting for his result when I last asked. I should follow up with him.

Sorry to have waded into the murky waters of family politics. Mine is not the happiest of experiences. Good to see your positivity. Wishing you and all yours well.

[robnplunder]

On 30/04/2020 at 23:44, Eikokurai said:

My dad is getting tested today after one of his wife’s patients (she’s a nurse in a sort of care home) died after several weeks with a respiratory infection. The patient wasn’t tested but their cause of death was recorded as related to coronavirus, so my dad now qualifies for a test as he’s obviously been in contact with his wife. I’m sure it’ll be fine. If either of them are positive, it will be asymptomatically as neither shows signs of the virus and if the patient did die of it there’s been several weeks of exposure. Still, it’s worrying until you know for sure. Most concerning is that my dad took my nan to hospital for an unrelated condition last week. She’s 89 and got plenty of existing conditions, which makes her vulnerable.

My best wishes to your parents.  

(I haven't been able to visit my mom in her place for two months now.   They (assisted living home) banned family visits very early on. )

[Eikokurai]

On 07/05/2020 at 00:51, robnplunder said:

My best wishes to your parents.  

(I haven't been able to visit my mom in her place for two months now.   They (assisted living home) banned family visits very early on. )

All clear. Dad and his wife (not my mum) tested negative.

[Eikokurai]

So I’ve been hit with some pretty stressful news from the Chinese entry/exit bureau that deals with visas, etc.

In early March I lost my passport on the way to work. (I was carrying it because of the virus situation so I could prove my ID to get in the office.) I followed all the instructions about what to do: reported it to the local police and got a loss report, cancelled it online, reported to the entry/exit bureau and for 30 days to apply for a new passport. I filled out the application, which from China can only be done on paper and submitted at the UK’s passport services office. First snag: the office was closed because of the virus. After several days of frantic phone calls and emails with the UK Passport Office, UK Embassy, UK consulate and the Foreign Office, I was finally permitted to mail my application directly to the UK as there was no other way to apply. The British government had completely failed to put in place a contingency to help British nationals in need of passport services. Idiots. 

I posted the application, which in hindsight I should not have done through regular mail but with DHL or a similar courier service, because it’s been sitting at the airport in London since April 1st, waiting to be delivered. I’m helpless to do anything about it. I need someone to go back to work and sort the mail. Who knows when that will be?

Anyway, my visa is up on May 20th. I was open and honest about my situation and the visa agency was in communication with the police, who told them I’d be okay to stay for 60 days past my visa date. Except ...

Today the police have changed their policy. I now have to go down to the exit/entry bureau tomorrow and plead my case and beg them to let me remain until my passport is sorted, or else I have to leave China by May 20th. Today is May 15th. To make it worse, there are no flights out of China and when one is available it’s more than £3,000. I am potentially looking at being kicked out of the country but with no means to leave. I’m beyond stressed. I have a wife and son here and an employer expecting me to be at work on Monday, not packing a suitcase and trying to get a ticket to England. 

[Athenayama]

@Eikokurai I hope your situation will have a positive end. I wish you the best.

[Otokonoyama]

Is it possible to send another application to the UK Passport Office via a courier service, and keep talking to them via email and calls requesting expedited service (usually requires an extra fee)?

[Ryoshishokunin]

Last time I was in a hurry to get a new passport they got me one in two days in Australia.  I'm sure things are running badly at the moment, but phone consular services and they  tend to be pretty good when the urgency gets to them.

[Eikokurai]

Just now, Ryoshishokunin said:

Last time I was in a hurry to get a new passport they got me one in two days in Australia.  I'm sure things are running badly at the moment, but phone consular services and they  tend to be pretty good when the urgency gets to them.

I’ve phoned the UK consulate and they want nothing to do with passport applications. 

[Eikokurai]

26 minutes ago, Otokonoyama said:

Is it possible to send another application to the UK Passport Office via a courier service, and keep talking to them via email and calls requesting expedited service (usually requires an extra fee)?

I had my mum call for me earlier and ask the same but they basically said it wasn’t possible to send an application that way, contradicting the earlier advice I was given.

[Otokonoyama]

Bureaucracy at its finest, eh. 

[Otokonoyama]

This UK gov page claims you can apply online for an emergency travel document to use in place of a passport...

https://www.gov.uk/emergency-travel-document

[Naganoyama]

The other alternative would be to find out whether you can use a different document as your proof of ID.

Do you have a driving licence, birth certificate, workplace ID card, library card, electricity bill, gym membership and would any of these be acceptable to the authorities?

OK I see it's the visa expiry that is the problem, not proof of ID.

Edited May 15, 2020 by Naganoyama

[Otokonoyama]

IF you had to leave for a time to sort things out, Google Flights is showing this at the moment, £849 best case scenario.

https://www.google.com/flights/?hl=en#flt=/m/06wjf./m/04jpl.2020-05-20;c:GBP;e:1;sd:1;t:f;tt:o

[robnplunder]

6 hours ago, Athenayama said:

@Eikokurai I hope your situation will have a positive end. I wish you the best.

+1.   

 

[Eikokurai]

9 hours ago, Otokonoyama said:

This UK gov page claims you can apply online for an emergency travel document to use in place of a passport...

https://www.gov.uk/emergency-travel-document

This is only to leave, not to stay. I don’t actually want to leave.

[Adil]

2 hours ago, Eikokurai said:

This is only to leave, not to stay. I don’t actually want to leave.

What a stressful situation, dude. Hang in there. I wish you the best of luck and I hope things work out. 

[Eikokurai]

Okay, I’ve been given a temporary stay of execution. Ironically, the incompetence of the UK government has helped me as the Chinese police are familiar with the situation and aware that British people in China are being screwed. I’ve been given a document for another month that apparently is rarely issued but exists for this sort of situation. I’ll need to renew it in a month if the UK government is still doing a terrible job, which is a safe bet I feel. Anyway, I feel somewhat relieved. It isn’t over yet and next time I might get a different policeman with a different attitude. That’s the thing in China, while its flexibility can work in your favour, it can also not and the unpredictability causes a lot of stress. The UK Border Police wouldn’t be as forgiving I feel, but then at least you’d know exactly where you stand. The pros and cons of rule of law versus rule of man.

[Eikokurai]

I’ve finally been able to apply for a new passport. I abandoned my earlier attempts to apply directly as the mail is still sitting untouched at the airport and I can’t wait any longer, so now the office is finally open in Shanghai I’ve applied through the formal channels. Fingers crossed everything will be okay. I don’t have all the usual necessary documentation but hopefully my cover letter will ensure I’m alright. Of course, even applying this way hasn’t been easy. I had to make an appointment and there are only 80 slots a day. They filled up quickly so I waited a week and a half to get one.

[robnplunder]

Beijing is seeing a resurgence of COVID 19.  Markets are shut down.  Many people are being tested.  There are panic buying.    The virus just won't go away.

Edited June 15, 2020 by robnplunder