Coronavirus: Chinese province of Guangdong extends quarantine and urges people not to travel over Lunar New Year

Those arriving from abroad will now have to spend a week at home after spending two weeks quarantined in designated hotels

Local authorities urge people not to travel over the holiday period and limit gatherings to 10 people or fewer

Reading Time:3 minutes

Travellers at the border crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 10:37pm, 8 Jan 2021Updated: 11:49pm, 8 Jan 2021

The southern Chinese province of Guangdong has tightened its quarantine control measures to prevent imported cases of Covid-19 and taken steps to reduce the mass movement of people ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.

Guangdong officials unveiled a raft of measures on Friday – from quarantine control to holiday arrangements – stressing that the province must stay vigilant.

Speaking at a press briefing, Huang Fei, deputy director of Guangdong Health Commission, said the province could not afford to let down its guard although it has not reported major outbreaks in recent weeks.

“The pandemic continues to spread around the world, and mutated strains of the virus have appeared in different countries,” Huang said. “Moreover, the situation in Hong Kong is not yet under effective control.

“At the same time, multiple incidents of outbreaks happened in different parts of China and there are 51 areas in China classified as medium to high risk,” he added.