Restrictions that were never there, that is.

@Liumingke1234 there brought another perspective or two to my pondering above, and also anectodal evidence on his own part.

Health hazards are bigger for older people, and while that would remain so in almost any country, many older and more experienced teachers will avoid countries like China (distrust on local health care and language barriers for most) where they may face age discrimination to begin with.

Younger teachers will not want to risk getting involuntarily stuck in foreign countries, or quarantined for weeks on roundtrips both ways.

Add political problems with USA.

Shortage of foreign teachers sounds guaranteed in very near term. Only saviour may be that economy globally goes down, and jobs disappear. China may still have jobs for those who can accept all above challenges.

More generically on topic of foreign teachers "on tour" in China (rather than living here like many of us), do you people working in education think the Covid will take a toll on that?

I mean, will it act as a deterring factor for fear of future pandemic or travel restrictions appearing? People worrying about getting stuck in places they prefer not get stuck in, and staying in home countries?

If there is such thing, will we see a new demand for native speakers being hired regardless of qualifications, or even lowering those qualification requirements by the authorities to answer to that demand?

Google translate is so familiar for foreign tourists coming to China, that blocking it together with other Google products would mean even more foreigners lost here - which, on the topic, would feed more anti-foreigner sentiment.

I don't know how Google's translate service operates technically in China (for example does it communicate with Google's ecosystem elsewhere, or does it censor translate results), but it wouldn't have been a tough sell for Chinese authorities to give it any necessary exception.

@AlPage48:

"information they post about visiting or living here does not match my experience here at all"

Ditto that. Then again they must build their view on the cities and places where majority of the repsective nationals visit, and those are Shanghai etc.

Scams on West Nanjing Road and petty thefts in places are (or have been - haven't been to such in years) a real thing, but nothing that describes life in Kunming for example.