Han Ximin ximhan@126.com SHENZHEN International Airport has stepped up efforts to screen inbound passengers by implementing big data screening and onboard inspections on arriving flights as the number of imported coronavirus cases is on the uptick, the airport said Friday. Arriving passengers entering China by transiting through other Chinese cities are required to register their travel history on the iShenzhen app before their plane lands at the airport. Upon arrival, medical and quarantine employees working at the airport will go onboard to check passengers who have traveled to epidemic-hit countries and regions. If a passenger is found to have an abnormal body temperature, the airport will arrange for follow-up medical treatment. Those sitting next to the passenger will also receive thorough medical checks and all other passengers will be required to provide their personal information. From March 1 to 13, the Shenzhen airport handled about 40,000 inbound passengers a day. According to Guo Wen, an on-duty doctor with the airport’s medical emergency center, medical employees of the center, along with police officers and airline companies, conducted an average of 40 onboard checks a day in the period. For inbound international flights from certain epidemic-hit countries and regions, the airport has designated quarantine areas and special passages at the international arrival hall as well as implemented health declaration measures by cooperating with the customs. China, where the epidemic began in December, now faces a greater threat of new infections from the rest of the world. Over a hundred countries have reported infections. Shenzhen reported its fifth imported case yesterday. The case involved a 13-year-old Hong Kong student who returned from Switzerland. The Chinese mainland reported 16 imported cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, the National Health Commission said yesterday. Among them, five were reported in Beijing, four in Zhejiang Province, three in both Shanghai and Gansu Province, as well as one in Shenzhen. (Related story on P2) Local Daily Report on COVID-19 Infections New: 1 Total: 422 Recovered: 399 (March 14) Death toll: 3 abided by quarantine rules. | 