Last month, Beijing said it would extend the quarantine period from 14 to 21 days for overseas arrivals, according to Global Times.
A new announcement by the Beijing Information Office on January 5 gave a clearer picture of what exactly these new rules entail.
Here, we offer some key points of Beijing’s new ‘14+7’ quarantine policy:
1. If any person, item, or part of the surrounding environment on an inbound flight tests positive for COVID-19 at customs, all passengers must quarantine for 14 days. Once the 14-day period has been completed with no positive COVID-19 test, arrivals can apply for seven-day home quarantine if they meet certain conditions. If conditions are not met, they must undergo a further seven-day quarantine in the same location.
2. If any person, item, or part of the surrounding environment on an inbound flight tests positive for COVID-19 during the compulsory 14-day quarantine period, arrivals must remain in quarantine in the same location. Once the quarantine period has been completed with no positive COVID-19 test, arrivals can apply for seven-day home quarantine if they meet certain conditions. If conditions are not met, they must undergo a further seven-day quarantine in the same location.
Note: Those who successfully apply for seven-day home quarantine will be taken in an isolated non-contact environment to their home. The arrivals cannot leave their home during the seven-day period.
3. If all persons, items and parts of the surrounding environment on an inbound flight test negative for COVID-19 at customs and during the entire 14-day quarantine period, arrivals can apply for ‘health monitoring’ at home if they meet certain conditions. If conditions are not met, they must undergo a further seven-day quarantine in the same location. During the ‘health monitoring’ period, arrivals must report their health status to their local community on a daily basis. Arrivals can leave their homes at this time but must not partake in large gatherings.
4. Those who enter the Chinese mainland via other ports can travel to Beijing without restriction 21 days after arrival. Those who need to travel to Beijing before 21 days must fill out their personal information via the 京相助 app 72-hours before arriving in Beijing. They must then undergo seven-days of ‘health monitoring’ as defined above. If any person, item, or part of the surrounding environment on the same inbound flight tests positive for COVID-19, arrivals can apply for seven-day home quarantine if they meet certain conditions. If conditions are not met, they must undergo a further seven-day quarantine in a designated location.
The measures come amid news of overseas arrivals testing positive even after a 14-day quarantine had been completed. On December 14, an arrival from Hong Kong tested positive in Beijing two days after his quarantine period ended.
And more recently, a British teacher tested positive in Hangzhou on January 5. The teacher had previously completed a 14-day quarantine period in Guangzhou, following which he had tested negative.
Whether other cities in China will follow Beijing’s lead in tightening health observation measures for overseas arrivals remains to be seen.
READ MORE: China Sees Biggest Rise in Daily COVID-19 Cases Since July
[Cover image via Global Times]
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