Beijing tightens outbound travel as pandemic worsens overseas

The capital is tightening up outbound management to require all citizens to suspend their travel plans if not necessary as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens overseas.

Beijing's disease control and prevention leading group stressed on Friday night that as the cross-border infections of the novel coronavirus have raged recently, it's essential to implement the requirements of all inbound travelers to undergo centralized quarantine and conduct regular checks to scrutinize the medical observation of those passengers.

Outbound management also needs to be strengthened, the group said. If not necessary, citizens in Beijing have to suspend their travel plans.

For the actual demand for isolated people in medical treatment, specific management measures need to be researched and planned ahead to form a closed-loop management for inbound passengers, it added.

Sites for centralized medical quarantine of inbound travelers must be chosen meticulously and professionals will evaluate whether the place is qualified or not for medical observation, the group said. Once risks for hidden danger are found, they should make adjustments and improve the plans for centralized quarantine places.

Medical waste generated from centralized quarantine sites have to be disposed of appropriately and a streamlined process dealing with trash needs to be formed with regular checks, it said.