US Embassy in China asks State Department to let diplomats leave over Covid restrictions
CNN
The US diplomatic mission in China has formally requested the State Department grant American diplomats "authorized departure," allowing them and their families to leave the country amid increasingly strict Covid-19 containment measures, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The request has not yet been approved by the State Department, according to the sources, who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity.
An "authorized departure" gives employees and families in the US embassy and consulates the option to leave China for a period of time until they feel safe to return, but is not a mandatory evacuation under an "ordered departure."
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