The New Year brought many new requirements. Getting documents attested for PRC is now even more complicated than before.
First of all, the close of the Houston Consulate, created delays at the Embassy in Washington DC as it took over the jurisdiction. Other pandemic measures include the letter of urgency, which is now required for the Consulate to allow documents to be submitted or for the appointment to be made.
Lastly, all attestation services from the United States for China are strictly jurisdictional now. This means that there are no easy or faster ways to have this done. This is especially burdensome for those documents going to the Chinese Embassy as they have to go through the State Department. And the State Department is currently closed to the public, processing mail orders only.