Beijing will impose a series of epidemic prevention and control measures for people returning to the capital from medium- and high-risk areas to minimize the spread of COVID-19, according to local authorities.
“These measures are precise and effective in preventing and controlling the epidemic, and also minimize the impact on the daily life and work of the public,” said Xu Hejian, deputy minister of the Publicity Department of the Beijing Municipal Committee, at a media conference on Saturday.
A policeman guides traffic at a road checkpoint in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 6, 2021. Beijing has stepped up the screening of people entering the city from areas with reported COVID-19 cases. Airports and traffic nodes in the city are being asked to strengthen their prevention and control measures to halt the spread of the coronavirus. (Photo: Xinhua)
The upgraded strict entry controls are aimed at people who have a history of travel and residence in regions with medium- and high-risk areas within 14 days and plan to go to Beijing.
First, Beijing will restrict the purchase of train and air tickets for people from medium- and high-risk areas, and manned checkpoints will persuade people entering Beijing by road to return.
Second, the status shown on the Beijing Health Kit, a mobile-based mini-app for checking the health of people, will be adjusted to “yellow” for people in medium- and high-risk areas. For those who have lived in or traveled to medium- and high-risk areas and have not yet returned to Beijing, a pop-up alert will be sent to their mini-app.
Third, all airports and train stations will strictly check the Beijing health app for people traveling to the capital, and people without “green codes” (which proves low risk) will not be allowed to board a train or flight. Those who do not have the. app installed will be asked to download it and show their status on the spot.
Fourth, for those with “yellow codes,” a “green code” could be restored after the entire area where they are becomes a low-risk area, or after they have left a medium- and high-risk area for 14 days. After 14 consecutive days without a history of travel or residence in medium- and high-risk areas, a “green code” will return.
Fifth, after the above-mentioned people regain their “green codes,” they can return to Beijing with a negative nucleic acid test certificate within 48 hours before boarding the train or the flight. Before arriving in Beijing, they ought to report their travel plans to their workplaces and communities. After arriving, they must undertake 14 days of health monitoring, and take nucleic acid tests on the first and the seventh day after they arrive in Beijing.
Before entering Beijing, they should log into the Beijing Health Kit and the Jing Xin Xiang Zhu apps to fill in their personal information accurately and completely.
If it is not necessary, it is preferable for the above-mentioned people not to come to Beijing.
(Compiled by Xiong Xinyi)
