US travel ban sparks rush for air tickets

Chinese academics and exchange students hit hard by the restriction

A ban imposed by the US on arrivals of foreigners who have been in China during the coronavirus outbreak sparked a scramble for last-minute flights on Sunday.

The temporary measure, which went into effect on Sunday at 5 pm US Eastern Time, has also created uncertainty over educational exchanges.

Chinese businessman Jackson Zhou, 27, boarded a flight from Beijing to Seattle, Washington. Scheduled to arrive at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday morning, he was among the last group of Chinese citizens to be allowed entry into the United States before the cutoff time.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump temporarily suspended "the entry into the United States of foreign nationals who pose a risk of transmitting the 2019 novel coronavirus", US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said.

The US embassy and consulates in China have canceled appointments for immigrant and nonimmigrant visas for the week that began on Monday, the agencies said on their websites, adding that they "are unable to provide a specific date" when services can be resumed.

The US decision affected the many Chinese citizens who work in the US but went home for the Lunar New Year vacation.

Zhou, who works at a California startup, was among many who made a last-minute change in plans. He originally planned to return to the US in late February but decided to cancel his flight and rebook one for Sunday, after he saw the US announcement on Saturday morning.

"I was lucky enough to get a ticket," he said. "Tickets were running out by the minute as I was searching, and the prices were surging" to several thousand dollars for a one-way trip, said Zhou, who settled for a more expensive business class ticket.

Zhou's flight was operated by Delta Airlines, one of three US airlines that are halting flights to the Chinese mainland.

Ctrip, China's major flight and hotel booking platform, posted a note on its search page warning travelers about the travel restrictions.

Two groups hit hard by the US travel restriction are visiting scholars and exchange students from China.

"It's just about time for visiting scholars and PhD students who participate in China-US joint programs to leave for the US," said Li, an insurance agent for Chinese visiting scholars and students, who declined to give his first name.

Many of the scholars have not only bought plane tickets, but have made rent deposits and paid insurance fees as well. Such expenses could be non-refundable, said Li, especially the rent deposits, which can cost several thousand dollars.

Risky option

"Some of them are in urgent need (like doing research or experiments) to enter the US and cannot wait for the future development of the outbreak and the restrictions," said Li. He told China Daily that many are considering other choices, including rerouting to a third country for two weeks before flying to the US.

It is, however, also a risky option, he said, given that it's uncertain whether the US government and customs would recognize such attempts.

The Harbin Institute of Technology, in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, has halted all exchange programs set to take place during the winter break and the following spring semester.

Li, who operates a WeChat account Visiting-USA and runs an online community of more than 2,000 scholars, estimated that the travel restrictions will affect more than 1,000 US-bound students and scholars.

"If the current situation lengthens, it is definitely affecting people's work, study and research plans. Even worse, it may affect the overall academic exchange between China and the US," he said.

Many in the US have had to cancel trips to China due to the outbreak.

"I was lucky to get a ticket for a flight that will take me from Washington to Beijing this afternoon," said Zhou, who gave only his surname before he boarded a plane on Sunday.

"I had thought few would show up; however, staff at the airport told me there are already more than 200 passengers for the flight, most of them changing their tickets just to catch the last flight."