TRAVELERS from countries and regions with severe coronavirus outbreaks arriving in Guangdong Province, regardless of nationality, must undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine as the coronavirus epidemic spreads across the world and China sees an uptick in the number of imported cases, the provincial health commission said Monday.

The Guangdong Provincial People’s Government Foreign Affairs Office has launched a 24-hour hotline (1258088), in both Chinese and English, to answer inquiries from foreigners in Guangdong and help solve difficulties they may encounter.

Chartered buses and interpreters will be in place to take inbound travelers to virus test centers. Single rooms with customized meals that take into consideration people’s eating habits will be provided, said Chen Qiuyan with the office.

Airline companies are required to inform passengers of relevant quarantine policies upon purchasing flight tickets or checking in at airports as well as offering ticket refunds when appropriate. They are also being held accountable for the health of on-board passengers and ensuring that they fill out the health declaration form.

Passengers with symptoms will be transported to designated hospitals for treatment.

The provincial health commission suggested that all preventative measures such as checking body temperatures, conducting nucleic acid tests and medical observation should be in line with China’s laws and meet Guangdong’s epidemic prevention and control needs, which are in the interests of the whole world as they will effectively prevent the cross-border spread of COVID-19.

From Feb. 27 to March 1, a total of 1,496 travelers from hard-hit countries and regions landed in Guangdong. As of yesterday, they had all tested negative for COVID-19, according to the commission.

On Sunday, Shenzhen confirmed one imported case of COVID-19, the first in Guangdong.

China has said it will focus on preventing those infected with coronavirus from crossing borders and has asked overseas Chinese to reconsider or minimize their travel plans.

By yesterday, more than 10,000 had been sickened by the virus in 72 countries outside China, according to WHO. South Korea reported the most cases, followed by Italy, Iran and Japan.

Flights from China to South Korea and Japan have been reduced for the next two weeks as a precaution, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.(Wang Jingli)