Beijing Dispatch #2 – Returning to Work in the Wake of Coronavirus
Beijing Dispatch #2 – Returning to Work in the Wake of Coronavirus
Saturday evening was the annual Lantern Festival celebration here in China, which marks the official conclusion of the Chinese New Year festivities. Fittingly, many of the businesses, offices and manufacturers that were previously closed ambitiously aimed to open their doors again Monday February 10th, following the 1-week government extension of the holidays after the novel Coronavirus outbreak. The evacuation of Canadians stranded in Wuhan continues, with plans for another potential flight to exfiltrate some of the remaining nationals, while the much of the population remains on lockdown.
The planned return to work across many cities in China has been punctuated by challenging policy measures and government audits for these enterprises. The CCBC Beijing offices & Business Incubation Centre are relatively unaffected, with team members requiring pre-registration should they be back in the office, and a wrist/forehead temperature check upon arrival in a secure area in the building. Other Canadian and international organizations are experiencing much more stringent criteria. A well-known, publicly-traded retailer in downtown Beijing has required all staff returning to work to sign an affidavit confirming that they have not traveled to the Hubei province in the previous 2 weeks, and are required to wear masks and gloves while in the store. Furthermore, photographic evidence of a minimum quantity of disinfectant products per employee must be provided, and the store must further design (and receive government approval on) a SOP for how regularly the surfaces and floors will be sterilized. Management is considering remaining closed after dismal traffic led to an operating loss on the first day back open.
In the consumer goods manufacturing sector, another CCBC member has been tasked with a rigorous audit before they can begin shipping. This facility in Jiangsu, employing roughly 180 line staff, spent 2 full working days fulfilling audit requirements to re-open the facility, including multiple daily temperature checks, a fully-enclosed on-site isolation room in case of a temperature check failure, 14-day quarantine of each container (both raw materials and finished goods), and various control measures to ensure workspace cleanliness and information-sharing. Several other regional plants did not pass the audit requirements. In my discussion with the Canadian manager of the facility, we agreed on the value of many of these new workflows, and he asserts that they will remain implemented in perpetuity. Perhaps we will observe some strong workplace habits that will be cemented in light of this otherwise negative scenario.
In conversation with some of our officials at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, an interesting statistic came to light. The voluntary tracking list of Canadians based in China (the Registration of Canadians Abroad system) has seen a ten-fold increase in registrants since the beginning of the outbreak only a few short weeks ago, indicating a tremendous jump in citizens seeking consular advice and updates from Global Affairs Canada. If you are based in China, I highly recommend registration – the GAC team will continue to send out emails on the ongoing situation, including international travel advisories and more based on your region, and thereby, risk-profile. Recent events indicate just how quickly and aggressively we as expats can be affected by changes in policy on the ground here, so registration is strongly suggested. Be advised as well that the Canadian Embassy, consulates and regional provincial offices have been reduced to only essential staff or, in some cases, closed entirely.
The CCBC offices in Beijing and Shanghai remain open and available to service our members as always, and I ask that if there are any requirements that you may have while unable to physically travel to China, please inform us to see how we can be of support. Myself (Noah[at]ccbc.com.cn) and my colleague Edward Dai (Edward[at]ccbc.com.cn) in Shanghai are keen to offer assistance however possible, and please keep an eye on this space as we will continue to provide more updates and advice as the situation evolves.