Beijing's New Vaccine Proof Requirements Raise Questions

According to an annoucement made at Beijing's covid news conference yesterday afternoon, proof of vaccination will be required to enter a number of public places around the city beginning Monday Jul 11.

The list of venues that will require proof of vaccination includes training institutions, libraries, museums, movie theaters, galleries, cultural centers, sports venus, gyms, entertainment venus, internet cafes, and "and other places where people gather in groups."

While it’s simple enough to show proof of vaccination if you've received your doses locally (it shows up in your Beijing Health Kit), it's not so simple if you've recieved the vaccine overseas – as the Beijing Health Kit lacks the function to display anything but local vaccine results.

Likewise, getting proof that you are not eligible for the vaccine for medical reasons looks challenging as well.

So what is to happen to those that don't have their vaccine proof lined up in their Health Kit by Monday?

To be honest, your guess is as good as ours.

What we do know is that there are plenty of people – those medically unfit to recieve the vaccine, those that received the vaccine overseas, and those who have not yet started their vaccine – that could be left out in the cold come Monday. 

We've done our best to address all the questions that have come up over the past 24 hours, but to be perfectly honest, we still haven't found all the answers. We've done our best below, but the policy is just new enough and just vague enough to leave us in the dark about a lot of specifics.

Keep in mind as well that these rules could be modified before Monday or after, but as of now, all signs are pointing towards at least some venues asking for vaccine proof on Monday.

Q: How strict will places around Beijing be with these rules on Monday?

A: Will the city's bao'ans deny entrance to everyone without verified documentation of vaccinations in their Health Kit on Monday? Short answer: Maybe. Longer answer: There could be some flexibility here. It's interesting to note that left off the list of venues that would require vaccination proof were some of the big categories such as supermarkets, restaurants and hospitals; then there was the use of vague language such as "and other places where people gather in groups" that seems to indicate a lack of a 100 percent thought-out policy. 

Q: What clinics and hospitals are currently offering vaccinations for foreigners?

A: You can find a list of places offering vaccination services here. It was originally published in November 2021 but has been updated as of today. Please note that currently many places have long waiting lists for vaccinations; your best bet is to call around.

Here is another list provided by the CDC of clinics that can offer vaccines to foreigners; however we were unable to verify if all of these places will indeed take foreign clients:

Q: What is the minimum / maximum age requirement for Covid vaccines?

A: As of 2022, the minimum age requirement for getting a Covid vaccine is three. There is no maximum age limit. To date we have not found any mention of any exemption for the vaccine requirement for those older than three, which means all people four and up could be asked to show vaccine proof beginning Monday.  

Q: What are the recognized medical exemptions for Covid vaccines?

A: According to the CDC, medical exemptions for Covid vaccine administration are:

-People who are allergic to substances or inactive ingredients used in vaccines or who have had allergic reactions to vaccines in the past;

-Patients with uncontrolled epilepsy and other serious neurological conditions;

-Women who are currently pregnant;

-Individuals who are currently suffering from a fever or other acute or chronic illness, or a serious chronic illness that hasn’t been brought under control.

Q. How do I show proof of a medical exemption?

A. According to the city government hotline 12345, a written medical exemption can be obtained from a hospital or clinic that offers vaccine services (see list above). However, we called a couple of hospitals to find out if they offered such services and were only able to confirm one: Raffles Medical Clinic. It is unclear if this "not eligible" status can be displayed in the Beijing Health Kit; it may be a document you need to carry separately.

Q: How many injections do I need to be regarded as being “vaccinated”, for the purpose of gaining entry into venues on Monday?

A: This seems to have been split into two categories, according to a report from Beijing Daily.

Proof of full vaccination (or full vaccination plus the booster) aka at least two shots – is required for people attending important conferences, people participating in city tour groups and people entering retirement homes and other facilities for the elderly.

Full vaccination is also required for individuals working in the service industries, such as medical profession, community services, city volunteers, transportation, home services, renovation services, delivery, and similar occupations.

Proof of basic vaccination (this wording is vague – and discussions with both the CDC and to the 12345 city goverment could not clarifiy with us if this meant one or two vaccine shots – but some sources are saying that just the first shot is enough) is required for entry to venues such as training insttutions, libraries, museums, cinemas, galleries, cultural centers, sports venues, gyms, entertainment venues, internet cafes and "other places where people gather in groups."

Q: If I have been vaccinated overseas using a non-Chinese Covid vaccine, how do I show proof of this?

A: The Beijing Health Kit currently only recognizes Chinese vaccines received in Beijing. If you’ve received a different vaccine, like Pfizer-BioNTec or Sputnik V, you’ll need to show proof of vaccination using whatever proof of vaccination you received overseas.

Unfortunately, there is no way for these to show up in the Health Kit, so if the gatekeepers of Beijing are going to be tough about it, you will need to provide some sort of documentation that you've received the vaccine somewhere else. This could prove tricky, given the average bao’an is unlikely to be well-versed in all the formats and languages that such vaccination documentation comes in.

A "vaccine passport" booklet from the Beijing International Travel Health Center in Hepingli allows foreign vaccines to be listed; it may or may not come in use by the time Monday rolls around. Unfortunately their appointment system is booked solid through August; we contacted them by phone and they said to return to their signup page (www.beijingithc.org.cn/) in early August.

As a final option, if you're holding a proof of vaccination document from overseas, you can bring it with you and hope for the best, or better yet get it translated into Chinese first. A number of international clinics we spoke to in Beijing recommended getting the proof of vaccination translated by a professional translation company.

READ: Emergency Numbers Every Foreigner Should Know

Images: Mufid Majnun and Braňo (via Unsplash)