Chinese cities quarantine travellers from South Korea amid spike in coronavirus cases
- From Weihai in the east to Yanbian in the northeast, authorities take measures including isolating people on arrival and closing tourist sites
- There are growing concerns China’s efforts to contain the disease may be compromised after its neighbour reported a jump in infections
Authorities in Weihai, a coastal city in the eastern province of Shandong, announced on Tuesday that people travelling from South Korea – including Chinese passport holders – would have to spend 14 days in hotel quarantine on arrival, with immediate effect. Other visitors who had arrived in the city since February 10 had been contacted by telephone for health checks. The measures also applied to travellers from Japan. Temperature checks were being carried out at airports, ports, train and bus stations across the city, Weihai’s Communist Party chief Wang Luming said.
The new rule saw an entire planeload of passengers – 144 Chinese and 19 South Koreans – placed under quarantine in a downtown hotel when they arrived in the city from Seoul on Tuesday, Yonhap news agency reported, citing a diplomatic source. The local government would cover the cost of their quarantine, the report said.
It came a day after the Civil Aviation Administration of China urged airlines to be cautious about the “risks of incoming coronavirus cases” while keeping transport links running smoothly.
Like many other cities in China, Weihai has been struggling to get back to business amid extreme measures to limit the spread of the new coronavirus after the outbreak began in December. Since late January, people have been advised to stay at home, while many shops, restaurants and factories remain closed and cannot reopen until the city goes 14 days without any new cases, Yonhap reported.