US to reopen operations at consulate in China’s Wuhan ‘in near future’

Washington will soon resume operations at its consulate in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the US Embassy said on Wednesday. The novel coronavirus outbreak began in the city late last year.

United States Ambassador to China Terry Branstad “intends to resume operations in Wuhan in the near future,” Frank Whitaker, minister counselor for public affairs at the embassy, told Reuters without giving a specific date.

The US State Department withdrew consulate staff and their families in late January after the Chinese government put the city under lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.

The central Chinese city with a population of about 11 million has accounted for the majority of China’s coronavirus cases and deaths. However, the epidemic has since subsided there and in other parts of the country.