Can My Neighborhood Prevent Me From Entering if I Leave?

原创 Joey Knotts theBeijinger

It may be time to burn through all of those pulp fiction novels you’ve been meaning to read because it’s starting to look like a Quarantino movie out there: gates are closed off and extra fencing is erected, kuaidi deliveries are hocked over fences, and many xiaoqu residents are required to use entry-exit passes whenever they want to leave.

Neighborhood communities are not taking the outbreak situation lightly, to say the least, and it’s got some people wondering: what if I leave and they don’t let me back in?

Not to worry, however, as it is against the law for neighborhoods to deny re-entry to residents who can pass a temperature test. In response to reports of extreme measures being taken by neighborhoods, experts speaking at a press conference on Sunday re-emphasized that while neighborhoods may set up stringent controls that include temperature tests, they may not limit the entry of residents who leave the neighborhood for work.

That being said, however, residents should check with their landlord or community authorities to make sure that they understand the proper procedures for entering and exiting their compound.

Foreign residents returning from travel outside of China should also ask their landlord to check with the local police station (派出所 pàichūsuǒ) as to whether in-person registration is still necessary or if they should immediately go into 14-day quarantine as required by regulation.

If unlawfully denied entry, have your landlord bring the proper paperwork to prove that you are a resident of the neighborhood or contact the nearest police station for help.