Here's What Returnees to Guangzhou Can Expect on Arrival

By That's GBA, March 24, 2020

As of March 21, all inbound travelers to Guangdong must complete a 14-day quarantine at an approved facility. Contact your residential building to inform them of your travel plans and when you plan to arrive, and they will help coordinate with local authorities on which quarantine hotel you will stay at.

The Airport

On your flight to Guangdong, your temperature will be checked multiple times. If a passenger is suspected to be ill, they will be immediately transferred to a medical institute upon landing and will not pass through the terminal.
If flying to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, your passport will be assigned either a red or yellow sticker on the plane (in order to strictly control overseas entry barriers, Baiyun Airport has removed the green label and merged the orange label with the red label)

Red: passengers who have traveled to a foreign country within the past 14 days
Yellow: passengers transiting through Baiyun Airport

When you land, health officials will call out seat numbers, so listen for when you are called to disembark the plane.
You will have your temperature taken multiple times, and each person is questioned to ascertain where they have been. (Make sure to have your China address and countries you have visited in the last 14 days written down – or available on your phone – in Chinese with dates to expedite the process.)
After passing health declarations, you will move on to immigration (more forms to fill out).
Next, head to the baggage claim area to pick up your suitcase(s).
Lastly, free shutttles are provided to help transport you back to your city. Look for your respective city and scan the QR code for your free shuttle voucher.

Image via That’s

You will be processed by nurses and police for the district you live in, and directed to a bus which takes returnees to a hotel near your home address.
You may have to wait a few hours until a bus comes, and once on board you may need to wait a few hours for other returnees, so bring water, snacks and a warm layer as it will be chilly (all bus windows will be kept open to ensure ventilation.

The Quarantine Hotel

Once your shuttle drops you off at the quarantine hotel, staff members will explain the rules and help check you in.
They will administer a COVID-19 test, which simply requires a swab of the back of the throat. No blood is taken.
You will need to wait two to three days for the result to come back.
Chinese nationals and foreigners are kept at separate hotels, so be prepared to be separated if this is your case with your travel partner.
Depending on your hotel, there will be a set schedule for meal times which are left outside your room. Deliveries are allowed, and will also be left outside your room.
Once the results come back, you will be notified if you are approved for home quarantine. You may not hear at the same time, so don’t get nervous about not receiving your results when others have.
You may also receive calls from your landlord, neighborhood committee and local police during this period as they will be notified of your travel history.
Once your entire group has been processed, you will need to wait for a bus to come and take you home. You cannot freely travel home, whatever your test result, and it may be a few hours for a bus to be available.
You will be signed off under strict quarantine conditions to the nurse in charge of the bus before being dropped off at home.

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At Home

You will be met by a neighborhood committee member, or the security staff will have been told prior about your arrival.
If you live alone and your neighborhood committee deems your home satisfactory, you can quarantine there.
If you have family or roommates at home, you can only quarantine there if everyone in your household also agrees to quarantine, you must sleep in separate rooms.
You will be visited by officials who will have forms for you to sign regarding your quarantine after they explain the rules.
You need to take your temperature twice a day and remain inside for the entire 14 days.
You can order food and other deliveries online, and they will be delivered outside your door by volunteers or other staff, which will probably be organized through a WeChat group set up by officials.
You must inform officials if any symptoms arise.
A magnetic device may be installed outside your door which will notify officials when it is opened. If that is the case, you will need to notify them in your WeChat group when you need to open the door.

How Do You Know When It’s Over?

Officials will help you work out your quarantine dates, and take the time you spent in quarantine waiting for your test results into account.
You will not be able to leave home without another official procedure at the end of your quarantine, so wait to be contacted by officials, even if the day your quarantine ends has arrived.