![US Embassy in China asks State Department to let diplomats leave over Covid restrictions US Embassy in China asks State Department to let diplomats leave over Covid restrictions](https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220125231646-us-embassy-beijing-2020-file-restricted-super-tease.jpg)
![US Embassy in China asks State Department to let diplomats leave over Covid restrictions US Embassy in China asks State Department to let diplomats leave over Covid restrictions](https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/220125231646-us-embassy-beijing-2020-file-restricted-super-tease.jpg)
The US diplomatic mission in China has formally requested the State Department grant American diplomats “authorized departure,” allowing them and their families to leave the country amid increasingly strict Covid-19 containment measures, according to two sources familiar with the matter.