This could put a real crimp in athlete travel to the Olympics from the US. (Perhaps from other countries as well, but this article only mentions the bilateral situation.)
"The U.S. Transportation Department issued an order Friday blocking 44 passenger flights by Chinese airlines after the Chinese government took the same step against American carriers as part of its strict coronavirus control policies.
The restrictions begin Jan. 30 and run until March 29. They affect flights between Los Angeles and New York and five Chinese cities.
Since the early days of the pandemic, the Chinese government has imposed a policy known as the “circuit breaker” that imposes limits on inbound flights by airlines if their passengers subsequently test positive for the coronavirus.
...
Airlines that operate a China-bound flight that contains between five and nine passengers who subsequently test positive for the coronavirus are supposed to have two options: suspend that flight for two weeks or limit that flight’s capacity to 40 percent for four weeks. The Chinese government says it applies the rules in the same way to domestic and international airlines.
But the Transportation Department says in the case of the most recent incidents, the U.S. carriers were not given the choice and were told they must cancel the flights, while being denied advance warning.
“U. S. carriers, who are following all relevant Chinese regulations with respect to pre-departure and in-flight protocols, should not be penalized if passengers, post-arrival, later test positive for COVID-19,” the department wrote in Friday’s order."
"The U.S. Transportation Department issued an order Friday blocking 44 passenger flights by Chinese airlines after the Chinese government took the same step against American carriers as part of its strict coronavirus control policies.
The restrictions begin Jan. 30 and run until March 29. They affect flights between Los Angeles and New York and five Chinese cities.
Since the early days of the pandemic, the Chinese government has imposed a policy known as the “circuit breaker” that imposes limits on inbound flights by airlines if their passengers subsequently test positive for the coronavirus.
...
Airlines that operate a China-bound flight that contains between five and nine passengers who subsequently test positive for the coronavirus are supposed to have two options: suspend that flight for two weeks or limit that flight’s capacity to 40 percent for four weeks. The Chinese government says it applies the rules in the same way to domestic and international airlines.
But the Transportation Department says in the case of the most recent incidents, the U.S. carriers were not given the choice and were told they must cancel the flights, while being denied advance warning.
“U. S. carriers, who are following all relevant Chinese regulations with respect to pre-departure and in-flight protocols, should not be penalized if passengers, post-arrival, later test positive for COVID-19,” the department wrote in Friday’s order."
