An Air China flight lands at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Photo: cnsphoto

Shanghai announced on Thursday it will allow some overseas arrivals to complete 7 days of their 14-day quarantine period at home starting on July 27; however, the first 7 days of their quarantine must be completed at designated locations.

Travelers are required to take a COVID-19 nucleic acid test on the 5th day of their quarantine at a designated location and they must have a fixed residence in the city if they decide to finish the last 7 days of quarantine at home.

If they return a negative nucleic acid test result, the authority will allow them to finish their quarantine at home, without coming into contact with other persons in the transfer process. Before their quarantine ends, the traveler and other members in the same household must take nucleic acid tests. The quarantine will be lifted after the 7 days if all tests are returned negative.

However, the returnees must accept the rules on home isolation; that is, there must be only one person in the household, or the other members in the same household must remain in isolation with the returnee during their quarantine period.

Those who are unwilling or unable to meet these conditions must accept the 14-day quarantine at a designated location.

Travelers whose final destination is the neighboring Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces will also be allowed to follow the same "7+7" procedure. Those who are heading to other cities, however, will be required to complete their 14-day quarantine in Shanghai.

If travelers are unable to quarantine at a designated location; for example, elderly persons, minors, pregnant women and disabled individuals, they can apply for home-based isolation if they can submit negative nucleic test results and meet the relevant home-based isolation rules.