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FILE - Passengers wearing look masks to assistance support against the coronavirus instrumentality remainder astatine Pudong International Airport successful Shanghai, China connected July 25, 2021. Delta Air Lines said Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, that caller cleaning requirements astatine a Shanghai airdrome were down the determination to crook backmost a caller formation from Seattle successful mid-air, a determination that had prompted a protestation from the Chinese consulate successful San Francisco. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

BEIJING – Delta Air Lines said Monday that caller pandemic-related cleaning requirements astatine a Shanghai airdrome were down the turning backmost of a caller formation from Seattle successful midair, a determination that had prompted a protestation from the Chinese Consulate successful San Francisco.

An emailed connection said the caller mandates astatine Shanghai Pudong International Airport “require importantly extended crushed clip and are not operationally viable for Delta.”

It wasn't wide what the rules are and what prompted the change, but it comes arsenic China tightens its already strict COVID-19 question restrictions successful the look of a increasing outbreak successful the metropolis of Xi'an and up of the Winter Olympics successful Beijing successful six weeks.

Xi'an, which is astir 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) southwest of Beijing, reported much than 300 caller cases implicit the weekend, a crisp emergence from erstwhile days. The metropolis of 13 cardinal radical has been locked down, with lone 1 idiosyncratic per household allowed retired each 2 days to store for necessities.

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The Delta formation that turned backmost to Seattle past week near passengers with expired COVID-19 trial results and U.S. visas, according to Chinese media reports.

The consulate successful San Francisco did not sanction Delta but said successful a abbreviated connection Sunday that galore flights from the U.S. to China had been delayed oregon canceled successful caller days including a formation that turned backmost much than halfway to its destination.

The consulate “had made a stern practice to the airline,” the connection said.

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