China hasn’t banned US citizens over hantavirus

18 May 2026

Social media posts have claimed that China has banned all US citizens from entering the country due to the hantavirus outbreak.

We’ve seen posts claiming this on X, Facebook and Instagram, but it isn’t true.

We could find no credible news reports about any such ban. It’s not mentioned on the US Department of State’s travel advice for the country, nor on the website of China’s embassy in the US, and China’s foreign ministry told Reuters the claim is “fake news”.

This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because China has not banned all US citizens from entering the country due to hantavirus.

Related topics

Social media Quick checks

Related fact checks

Evidence you can rely on

Fact checking claims made by politicians, public figures and viral online content can give you the full picture backed by the evidence.

Subscribe to weekly email newsletters from Full Fact for updates on politics, immigration, health and more. Our fact checks are free to read but not to produce, so you will also get occasional emails about fundraising and other ways you can help. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy.