Flights with destination Beijing to be diverted to other airports for screening
March 24, 2020 Category Health, Weekly
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has announced that starting on March 23 all international flights due to arrive in Beijing would be diverted to other airports as their first port of entry. Chinese authorities are trying to avoid that passengers infected with the coronavirus would cause a new outbreak in Beijing. International flights to Beijing would land at one of 12 other designated airports, where passengers would be screened. Passengers who were cleared would then be permitted to reboard the plane, which would take them on to Beijing, the CAAC said.
Beijing and Shanghai have put Belgium on the list of “key countries seriously affected by the novel coronavirus”, which means that travelers who have been in Belgium in the 14 days prior to arriving in China need to submit to a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. People quarantined at home are required not to live in the same apartment with other family members who don’t need to be quarantined. If quarantined at designated facilities, the travelers will need to pay between CNY200 and CNY400 per person daily.
According to aviation statistics provider VariFlight, nearly 30 inbound flights arrived in Beijing on a daily basis before the new measures were implemented, with about one-fourth from hard-hit countries including South Korea and Spain. At total of 149 quarantine sites have also been set up in Beijing. As an important aviation hub, Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) continues to receive 205 overseas flights per week connecting 33 countries and regions, and faces unprecedented risks of imported coronavirus cases, the CAAC added. Major Chinese airlines including Air China, China Southern and China Eastern are considering slashing international flights as infections worldwide continue to rise.
The CAAC explained the importance of rerouting some international flights to nearby airports, saying it can help contain imported COVID-19 infections, improve the capacity to secure the health of passengers and help promote efficiency of customs clearance. Ren Feng, Director of a team under the Exit and Entry Administration in Tianjin, said the city has “zero tolerance for those hiding the truth of their confirmed cases infected from overseas, and the security bureau will strengthen coordination among the airport, communities and other authorities”. Wang Haozhe, Vice General Manager of Tianjin Binhai International Airport, said, “the airport has cleared out special channels and zones to help with the quarantine, checks and transfer of passengers to appointed hotels or hospitals.” Taiyuan’s Health Commission said it has appointed two hospitals to receive confirmed cases from diverted flights, and some hotels and local emergency rescue centers are ready to begin quarantine and transfer of infected passengers. Along with the rerouting of flights, the CAAC announced a cap on the number of inbound flights. All Chinese and overseas airlines will be required to maintain their current level of international flights or cut them back, based on last week’s flight plans, the China Daily reports.
Airport officials in Beijing have upgraded body temperature screening measures to tighten disease control and prevention. Two or more body temperature screenings are being conducted at Beijing Capital International Airport for each inbound traveler, including infrared temperature checks and infrared gun temperature measurements, said Gao Ruifeng, Deputy Director of Beijing Customs. Some travelers flying in from hard-hit countries are also retested with mercury thermometers. Detailed inquiries about those travelers’ personal information, infectious disease symptoms and their travel itinery, residence, contacts and exposure are being made. For those showing coronavirus or other respiratory symptoms, samples of their nasopharyngeal swabs have to be sent to a laboratory for nucleic acid tests, Gao said. Those who test positive must be transferred to local designated hospitals for medical treatment, while those who test negative will be taken to isolation sites to undergo a 14-day quarantine, the China Daily reports.
Inbound travelers should truthfully report their health conditions and cooperate with border quarantine officers, or they may be denied entry into China, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) warned. “Beijing, as an international exchange center, has become the main battlefield for the prevention and control of novel coronavirus introduced from overseas by infected travelers,” Sun Shaohua, Deputy Director of CAAC’s Operations and Monitoring Center, said.
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