China Issues Regional Lockdowns Until March 20

A surge of Covid-19 cases in China has led to regional lockdowns and movement restrictions in the cities of Shenzhen and Dongguan set to last until March 20.

As part of these restrictions, all non-essential operations have been ceased. Assembly lines, including those for major electronics companies, have been shut down until the lockdown ends. Select areas of Dongguan will not allow trucks in or out except by government permit. For shipments to Shenzhen, shippers may circumvent custom clearance and delivery setbacks by confirming with the consignee as to whether they will be able to receive goods upon arrival. Although Shenzhen Airport has not issued any official restrictions, some staff may be affected by interruptions to local transport.

While neighboring Hong Kong has also placed restrictions allowing only essential operations and the import of supplies to continue, air and ocean terminal operations have remained relatively normal despite limited staff. The cross-border transportation service between Hong Kong and Southern China is also nearing suspension and critical shortage of cross-border trucks and drivers for land export and import continues to develop due to strict epidemic measures from Shenzhen.

Please be advised to reconsider shipping to Shenzhen until after March 20, 2022. KWE will continue to monitor the situation and communicate with all affected shippers the specific disruptions to their supply chain operations along with any potential measures to circumvent or mitigate adverse impact where possible.