Most foreigners barred amid rise in outside cases
Print Edition
CHINA will temporarily suspend the entry of foreigners with valid Chinese visas and residence permits starting tomorrow as the country seeks to curb the number of imported novel coronavirus cases.
The foreign ministry announced late yesterday that all visa-free transit policies will also be suspended.
It said diplomatic staff will be exempt, and foreign citizens coming for “necessary economic, trade, scientific or technological activities or out of emergency humanitarian needs” can still apply for visas.
The ministry said in a statement: “The suspension is a temporary measure that China is compelled to take in light of the outbreak situation and the practices of other countries.”
International flight routes will also be drastically cut. China’s aviation regulator has asked domestic airlines to reduce their international routes to only one per country while capping the number of flights to no more than one flight per week.
Foreign airlines are also asked to limit the number of flights to China to no more than one flight per week, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said yesterday.
Airlines are required to cap the passenger load factor on inbound and outbound flights at 75 percent to curb contagion risks, it said, adding that they are now allowed to use passenger aircraft for cargo-only flights. All new measures will take effect from Sunday.
China has not reported any new domestic COVID-19 infections for two consecutive days but officials have raised concerns about the number of imported cases, which have now surpassed 500.
Shanghai reported 18 newly confirmed imported COVID-19 cases on Wednesday — nine are Chinese studying abroad, bringing the city’s tally of imported cases to 112. It said 39 were from Britain and 27 from the United States.
All the 18 new patients have been sent to the designated hospital for treatment and their 73 close contacts on the planes have been tracked and put under quarantine and observation.
Another 20 imported suspected cases are undergoing checks, the Shanghai Health Commission said yesterday.
Nationwide, 67 imported cases were reported on Wednesday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 541, according to the National Health Commission yesterday.
Mi Feng, an NHC spokesman, said China is still under great pressure as 23 provincial-level regions have reported imported infection cases.
About 90 percent of all the imported cases are Chinese passport holders, Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui said, adding that 40 percent were Chinese students returning home.
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