Epidemic control staff disinfect an international arrival on Monday night in the Pudong district of Shanghai. The city has established at least 18 quarantine centers for international arrivals' medical observation. Twenty imported COVID-19 cases have been reported in the city. Photo: cnsphoto

 All people entering Beijing from overseas are requested to undergo quarantine for medical observations and take nucleic acid tests starting from Wednesday, the city said on Tuesday, responding to the increasing number of imported cases of the COVID-19.

The move comes as Beijing decides to strengthen its measures to fight against imports of infections. People entering China from abroad, regardless of their destinations, will have to undergo on-site centralized quarantine and tests, as will those coming in from abroad and entering the capital city from other ports, read the regulations, which will come into effect on Wednesday.

The quarantine observation will be carried out at people's own expense, and the testing costs will be subject to the relevant provisions, such as whether the person has contributed to social basic health insurance or purchased commercial insurance.

Beijing is currently only requesting that people entering the city from abroad undergo centralized quarantine.

With the risk of imported infections currently escalating in China, prevention and control of imported cases has become a top priority for big cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen which are seeking to plug loopholes and ensure the residents' safety.

Global Times