With the current rise of COVID-19 cases outside China and, consequently, increasing the number of cases in Beijing, stricter prevention measures are taken. Measures are constantly being updated according to COVID-19 developments [The latest on Covid-19 and Express of Epidemic Policies]. Stay tuned to local measures if you, your family, colleagues and friends are coming back to Beijing, or other areas in mainland China [Shanghai Latest Prevention Measures], during March.
What is happening in Beijing?
Authorities in Beijing imposed new quarantine measures on March 10th on inbound passengers to strengthen control of the coronavirus epidemic. Regardless of where passengers are coming from, severe epidemic areas or not, everyone arriving in Beijing must go under a 14-day quarantine at home or designated places. This measure has been implemented from March 10th.
A special area to temporarily hold all passengers from overseas was set up in the China International Exhibition Center in Shunyi district. Staff from sixteen districts of Beijing and other provinces have been assigned here to arrange passengers’ allocation.
All passengers will go through a health check, temperature screening, verification of information, and any other procedure that is considered necessary. After completing the health procedure, passengers will be divided into different categories for supervision and follow up in case they or other passengers become positive later.
Based on current measures, what different scenarios passengers could encounter when arriving in Beijing?
1) Passengers from countries that do not have a severe epidemic situation and countries with a severe epidemic situation must go under a 14-day quarantine at home or designated places:
A. If you have fixed accommodation in Beijing, you will take the special bus assigned by your corresponding district to your home for quarantine;
B. If you do not have fixed accommodation in Beijing, you will take the special bus assigned by the corresponding district of your destination and go directly to the designated place for quarantine;
C. If you travel to your residence by private car, you must report your information to the staff from your district and sign the “Home Quarantine Health Observation Commitment”. Once the staff verifies and confirms all the information, you are ready to go back home.
When arriving from overseas in Beijing, regardless of the area, you must pay attention to the quarantine instructions notified by the community management of your residence building upon arrival. They will confirm your information details. After this verification, you should sign the “Home Quarantine Health Observation Commitment” and go through the quarantine at home.
2) Passengers who entered Beijing from overseas for a short stay related to business must stay at designated local hotels and take nucleic acid tests. Until the test results are not available and positive, passengers are not allowed to leave the hotels.
3) Passengers transit to the near provinces via Beijing. There is designated personnel from the destination province at the airport. They will arrange passengers’ distribution based on the health status and after verification of all the contact details, you will be allocated to take one of the special buses to that province.
4) Passengers who decide not to stay in Beijing but transferred through Capital International Airport or Daxing International Airport will also receive health monitoring as preventive measures.