An airplane from China Eastern Airlines at the Beijing Daxing International Airport Photo: Courtesy of China Eastern Airlines

The Chinese Embassy in India said on Monday that it will help Chinese students, tourists and businesspeople return to China on chartered flights, with ticket and quarantine fees paid for by the passengers themselves. The first flight is scheduled for June 2 and will fly from Delhi to Shanghai.

To ensure public health safety, Chinese nationals who are confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19, those with fevers or coughs, and those who have had close contact with a confirmed case are not allowed to book tickets, read a statement on the embassy's public WeChat account.

Strict quarantine inspections will be carried out at customs, and those found to have taken medication to mask a fever will be held legally accountable for endangering public security, it said.

Five flights from June 2-8 have been scheduled, bringing people to Chinese cities including Shanghai, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong Province.

Since the outbreak of the global pandemic, China has been chartering flights to bring Chinese students home from countries including the UK, Iran, Italy and the US.