China gets tougher with overseas arrivals as imported cases mount
Print Edition
CHINA has tightened checks on international travelers at Beijing airport, saying that all new arrivals from outside Chinese mainland will have to be quarantined for 14 days at designated places, after new imported coronavirus cases surpassed locally transmitted infections for a second day.
China, where the epidemic began in January, now faces a greater threat of new infections from outside its borders as it continues to slow the spread of the virus domestically.
Chinese mainland reported 20 new cases of infections on Saturday, up from 11 cases a day earlier, data from the National Health Commission showed yesterday.
Of those, 16 were imported, including five in Beijing. Three of the cases in Beijing involved travellers from Spain while one came from Italy and the other from Thailand.
The city also reported one local suspected case and eight imported suspected cases, with three from Spain, and each one from the United States, Norway, Japan, Italy, and Britain, respectively, the Beijing Health Commission said.
Against this backdrop, the Beijing government has said that anyone arriving from overseas will be transferred to city quarantine facilities for 14 days, starting today.
All expenses during the period will be borne by those in quarantine, city deputy secretary-general Chen Bei said.
People arriving from abroad had previously been allowed to undergo the mandatory two-week quarantine at home, but now only those in “special circumstances” will be exempted from being sent to facilities.
People who falsely report information, conceal a disease or cause the spread of the epidemic will be punished accordingly, she cautioned.
Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, urged Beijing residents not to travel abroad to reduce the chances of infection.
Those currently abroad who have been in contact with infected people or show signs of infection should seek treatment where they are and not return with symptoms, she said.
Special assistance
Beijing has redirected all international flights that were scheduled to land at its new Daxing International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport.
Travelers who are transiting through Beijing to other destinations will be given special assistance, local authorities said.
Starting from March 10, Beijing Capital International Airport designated Zone D of Terminal 3 as a special zone for inbound flights from badly hit countries and regions, said Zhao Ying, deputy general manager of Beijing Capital International Airport Co.
All passengers disembarking from such flights need to complete the process of health quarantine, including body temperature screening and information inspection within the about 100,000-square-meter area, which is isolated from other passenger arriving channels and prevents cross-infection at the airport.
Meanwhile, the three cases imported into Shanghai on Saturday were from Italy, France and Spain, all Chinese citizens living in Europe. It brings the number of imported cases in the city to 15.
A total of 91 close contacts of the three new cases found at the Pudong airport have been quarantined, the Shanghai Health Commission said. Another 29 suspected cases from overseas are undergoing tests.
Imported COVID-19 cases who are not covered by the city’s medical treatment insurance have to pay for the medical cost, and those who have commercial health insurance will have their fees covered by commercial insurance companies based on contracts.
For imported cases who have not been covered by insurance and have financial difficulties, medical aid will be provided if they meet certain criteria, officials said.
Growing concerns
Eastern Anhui Province also said anyone arriving from abroad should be put under central quarantine for 14 days, local authorities said, without giving a timeline.
Zhejiang and Gansu provinces saw four and three infections, respectively, while Guangdong had one case in a Chinese native who lives in the Philippines. By the end of Saturday, 111 imported cases had been reported in Chinese mainland.
Underlying growing concerns over these imported cases, the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has said it will provide a cash incentive of 3,000 yuan to 10,000 yuan (US$428-1,426) to people who provided clues on anyone who had traveled in from abroad but not abided by quarantine rules.
Chinese mainland’s only locally transmitted new infections on Saturday were in Wuhan, which recorded four cases.
The daily number of the newly confirmed indigenous cases on the mainland outside Hubei has been in single digits since February 27, with no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases reported for three straight days.
Hubei had seen no new infections for 10 consecutive days in its 16 cities and prefectures outside Wuhan, which has also seen single-digit daily increases for four days.
Southwest Chongqing City yesterday became the latest provincial-level region to have reduced the number of COVID-19 patients to zero. After recovery, the last COVID-19 patient in Chongqing, a 52-year-old man, was discharged from a hospital around 11am, according to the municipality’s health commission.
On Saturday afternoon, central Hunan Province also saw its last COVID-19 patient discharged from hospital.
According to an initial count, 11 provincial-level regions are clear of infections after their last COVID-19 patients had been discharged.
Saturday’s figures bring the total number of confirmed cases in China’s mainland to 80,844.
The death toll reached 3,199 as of the end of Saturday, up 10 from the previous day. All 10 deaths occurred in Wuhan, the NHC said.
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