MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th January, 2021) The Chinese capital city of Beijing will block domestic travelers from areas with high-risk COVID-19 infection and require negative COVID-19 test results from those from low-risk infection areas in the next 1.5 months, local officials said on Wednesday.
As part of the city's efforts to reduce risks of local COVID-19 outbreaks during the upcoming domestic travel rush, expected to take place between Jan 28 and March 15, local authorities introduced a series of new requirements for domestic travelers who plan to arrive in the city during that period.
Domestic travelers from areas with low-risk of COVID-19 infection would be required to provide negative COVID-19 test results, taken within seven days before departure, if they plan to arrive in Beijing during that 1.5-month period, Xu Hejian, a top propaganda official at the city government, said during a press conference.
Following their arrival, the domestic travelers would also be required to be subject to 14-day health surveillance and do two COVID-19 tests on the 7th day and the 14th day after their arrival, Xu added.
For domestic travelers from areas designated as having high risk or medium risk COVID-19 infection, they will be prohibited from entering Beijing during that period, Xu said. If someone from those areas must travel to Beijing during that period, they need to seek approval from the provincial level center of disease control, according to Xu.
For travelers who returned from overseas through other border checkpoints, they would only be allowed to travel to Beijing after completing 21-day quarantine and would still be subject to 7-day health surveillance after arriving in the city, Xu said.
Travelers returning to Beijing directly from overseas have already been required to be quarantined in designated hotels for 21 days upon arrival for months.
A number of Chinese cities, especially those in northern China, faced resurgences of local COVID-19 outbreaks in recent weeks when hundreds of new cases were detected daily.
As part of China's efforts to contain the ongoing outbreak, Chinese authorities introduced new restrictions aimed at curbing domestic travel during the annual rush of people returning to their hometowns during the Chinese New Year holiday. The period of the annual Chinese New Year travel rush for 2021 is designated as from Jan 28 to March 15.
