Information provided by International SOS Security Services*. Members can log into the International SOS App, or www.internationalsos.com and view the security alerts for more detail.
Last updated 26 March 2020: 11.00 UTC
Latest updates in bold.
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FLIGHT OPERATIONS
Many airlines have suspended inbound and outbound flights to affected countries. Contact the relevant airline for up-to-date information on flight schedules.
SCREENING MEASURES
Countries are continuing to implement additional health screening measures at transport hubs, including airports, sea ports and border crossings, to contain the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. These include temperature checks prior to boarding planes and upon landing, stringent questions about itineraries, and medical declarations. Allow additional time to complete check-in formalities.
China: Internal Restrictions
Chinese authorities have since 10 February begun a gradual de-escalation of restrictions aimed at enabling a resumption of business as usual, and such de-escalation has also started in Hubei province since 10 March, where restrictions have been the most stringent. As of 25 March, except for certain provinces like Hubei, 95% of the industrial enterprises above designated size (above CNY 20m annual revenue), 71% of SMEs, and 60% of accommodation and catering services have resumed.
A three-tier (low, medium, high) COVID-19 risk rating system has been announced at county level nationwide since 26 February, which was meant to standardise the corresponding control measures. As of 20 March, 98% of the counties nationwide are now rated as low risk, meaning full resumption of business and life, while minding imported case prevention.
As of 23 March, most provinces/cities have de-escalated the COVID-19 response level from level one (highest in four-tier, government response system, separate from the three-tier risk rating system discussed above) to two or three, leaving four provinces/cities remaining at level one, including Beijing, Hebei, Hubei, and Tianjin.
Outside Hubei, railway stations and airports have gradually resumed operations and most provinces have resumed their inter-provincial road passenger transportation. Restrictions on public transportation and private car movement have been lifted in most cities as well. As of 18 March, movement inside major cities has come to 70% compared with the same period in 2019.
Quarantine requirements
As per the guideline from China National Health Commission (NHC), a 14-day mandatory quarantine in designated places is required for below groups:
- suspected COVID-19 cases
- individuals with fever where COVID-19 infection cannot be excluded
- close contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases
For domestic travellers who depart from areas outside Hubei and plan to stay in hotels in major cities, they are not subject to mandatory quarantine, but need to comply with the local requirements of information registration and body temperature monitoring. For those who have residence in the destination city, they need to confirm with the local residence committee about quarantine requirements as these still vary across the country. A mobile application called ‘health code’ (or similar) with different colour code (typically green, yellow, red) is being used to indicate the level of movement clearance for the individual users. A green code gives permission to freedom of movement while yellow or red may indicate that 7-14 days’ quarantine is required. As each province has different variations of the application, travellers will need to check the relevant application for their destination and register their information online to get the ‘health code’ before the trip.
Community level restrictions
Many provinces and cities have implemented community ‘close-off’ style management which means:
- A reduction of exit/entry access to the community.
- Access control of visitors and visiting vehicles: ID check/registration, temperature measurement at gate, delivery service is to be picked up at the gate of community etc.
- If there are confirmed cases in a certain community, there might be a closure of certain units/areas for quarantine depending on the severity of the local outbreak.
Such restrictions are easing as well. On March 18, Anhui province lifted the ‘close-off’ style management. Chongqing, Shanghai and Shenyang (Liaoning province) have started to ease such restrictions by using ‘green code’ as visitors’ entry permit since 24 March.
Other measures
The wearing of masks for outdoor activities is mandatory in many places. Temperature screening measures are commonly seen at airports, train stations, shopping mall entrances and office buildings.
Hubei province
Restrictions on outbound travel from Hubei province (excluding Wuhan) will start to be lifted on 25 March. For Wuhan, restrictions will be lifted on 8 April. As of 25 March, all areas outside Wuhan are low risk, while Wuhan has de-escalated to medium risk. The government has announced the issuance of a “health code” and green code-holders are able to move inside and out of Hubei after the restrictions are lifted. Those who want to leave Hubei should confirm with their destination city on the local requirements. Travellers from other provinces can also enter Hubei with a ‘green’ code. As to the local transportation, low risk areas have started to resume intra-province passenger flights, trains, buses, ferries and city transportation, and Wuhan has also gradually started to resume public transportation in the city. Railway and passenger flights have started to gradually resume accordingly with the lifting of restrictions; however, international flights and flights to Beijing will remain suspended until further notice.
Hong Kong (SAR)
Protesters continue to call for further action to pressure the government to close all routes to mainland China. Besides the closure of the ten routes to mainland China, the authorities have suspended ferries and high-speed trains, as well as the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Intercity Through Train which is served by Hung Hom Station. Individuals who have visited Hubei province, the centre of the outbreak, in the 14 days before arriving in Hong Kong are also barred from entering the city. All travellers entering Hong Kong are required to complete and submit health declaration forms.
Taiwan (China)
The authorities can be expected to impose stringent health screening measures in all ports of entry, including airports and seaports. The authorities have not implemented any further in-country restrictions thus far; however, such measures may be imposed at short notice in the coming weeks. Increased restrictions are possible for travellers upon return to their country of origin, including entry restrictions and mandatory quarantine.
Macao (SAR)
The authorities can be expected to impose stringent health screening measures in all ports of entry, including airports and seaports. The authorities have not implemented any further in-country restrictions thus far; however, such measures may be imposed at short notice in the coming weeks. Increased restrictions are possible for travellers upon return to their country of origin, including entry restrictions and mandatory quarantine.
With effect from 25 March, foreign travellers are barred from entering Macao. Visitors from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are barred from entering Macao if they have visited a foreign country in the 14 days prior to arrival. If they visited Hong Kong or Taiwan in the previous 14 days, they may enter Macao but have to undergo 14 days of medical observations at a designated location. If they have not visited a foriegn country, Hong Kong or Taiwan in the past 14 days, they will have to go through a 6-8-hour medical examination if they come from a region of high number of COVID-19 cases (Beijing, Chongqing, Guangdong, Henan, Shanghai or Zhejiang). Travellers who have been to Hubei province in the 14 days prior to arrival are required to present a medical certificate proving they are free from COVID-19.
China: Entry Restrictions
As the COVID-19 pandemic develops around the world, China has shifted its focus towards imported-case prevention and has strengthened screening on inbound international travellers, with measures including but not limited to:
- All travellers are requested to fill in a Health Declaration Form before or upon arrival at immigration control;
- Risking rating of inbound flights and travellers based on list of criteria like country of origin, if there’s passenger with fever on board etc;
- Onboard screening after landing of flights considered high risk;
- Passport labelling based on risk rating, with designated area, process and channel for CQI (Customs, Quarantine, Immigration) clearance and transportation arrangement.
- Mandatory nucleic acid testing for all inbound international travellers in major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Many cities and provinces have announced local quarantine requirements and procedures, with most of them requiring all inbound international travellers from ‘severely-affected countries’ to have mandatory 14-day quarantine at home or designated locations. The exact lists of ‘severely-affected countries’ vary from city to city and are subject to change accordingly with the development of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. It is important to note that an increasing number of cities and provinces now require all inbound international travellers to be quarantined at a designated location regardless of their place of origin. These include Anhui, Beijing, Fujian, Guiyang (Guizhou province), Heilongjiang, Hubei, Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Ningxia, Sanya (Hainan province), Shaanxi, Sichuan, Tianjin, Xinjiang, Yunnan, Zhejiang and Zhengzhou (Henan province). Some require all inbound international travellers to be quarantined at a designated hotel or residence, including Chongqing, Guangdong, Hebei, Liaoning, Shandong, Shanghai and Qinghai. It is possible that more cities and provinces may adopt similar stringent measures as the pandemic develops globally. Jiangxi province has announced the suspension of all inbound and outbound international flights for 14 days starting from 26 March. In most cities and provinces, the cost of staying at the quarantine facility shall be borne by the traveller. For more details on quarantine requirements in some key locations, please refer to specific city sections below.
The Chinese Immigration Bureau is also tightening the entry procedures. Customs will inspect travellers’ travel documentation for entry and request that inbound travellers report the local host organisations or contact persons, address at the destination, locations to visit, contact details etc. If any information is not given in accurately customs will reject the entry.
Also, local governments have the authority to make specific requirements based on local outbreak situations. Many local governments have required inbound travellers to inform their local company office and neighbourhood committee in advance about their travel plan. It is also critical that travellers check with the neighbourhood committee before departure to confirm quarantine requirements. For those who are quarantined at home, local police, doctors and staff from neighbourhood committees are likely to visit regularly to conduct information registration and temperature checks.
Beijing
Starting from 00.00 on 23 March, all international flights to Beijing will not land directly at Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), and will be diverted first to other domestic airports in Dalian, Hohhot, Jinan, Nanjing, Qingdao, Shanghai Pudong, Shenyang, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Xi’an and Zhengzhou. Passengers will go through the screening and immigration process at landed airports, and those who pass the screening can get onboard again and fly to Beijing via the original flights. The authorities have advised that passengers who transit through Beijing to an overseas destination should carefully plan their itineraries and leave enough time for the transit.
All inbound international travellers to Beijing, including Chinese nationals, (excluding transit travellers) no matter if their ports of entry are Beijing, will undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine at designated locations, except for the elderly (over 70 years), minors, pregnant women and patients with other serious health conditions. Those who want to apply for home quarantine should contact or have their family members contact the neighbourhood committee prior to the trip to apply for home quarantine. All inbound international travellers must receive nucleic acid tests.
Travellers without symptoms will be transferred from the airport to the dispatch centre in the new pavilion of China International Exhibition Center. Working groups from 16 districts of Beijing and other provinces will transfer the passengers to their destinations.
Shanghai
Starting from 18.00 on 26 March, all inbound international travellers to Shanghai will be subject to a 14-day mandatory quarantine and need to take nucleic acid tests. The airport staff will work together with staff from 16 districts in Shanghai and from the neighbouring provinces to send the passengers for quarantine at home or designated locations according to the results of investigation. Travellers who are deemed qualified to home quarantine will be transferred first to each district’s temporary checking and observation sites to take nucleic acid tests and for district staff to review home quarantine standards. Those who test positive will be transferred to medical facilities, and those negative will be quarantined at home or at designated locations based on the results of review.
Transit passengers will be sent to check-in counters, waiting areas in the airports or train stations by dedicated staff.
Guangdong province
All inbound travellers (excluding residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) entering Guangdong with international travel history of 14 days will be subject to a 14-day mandatory quarantine at home or at a government-designated facility. Screening measures are in place in both airports and land crossings (including Shenzhen Bay). All inbound international travellers need to receive nucleic acid tests.
Hong Kong (SAR)
Travellers who meet one or more of the following criteria are not permitted to enter Hong Kong:
- All non-residents of Hong Kong.
- Travelling on a PRC passport or China ID card that lists Hubei province as the place of issue.
- Visited Hubei province in the previous 14 days.
- Anyone who has visited mainland China within the previous 14 days and whose entry permit for Hong Kong (e.g. visa or other type of permit) is less than 14 days in duration.
Exemptions: Travellers holding a Hong Kong ID card are permitted to enter. Travellers from mainland China, Macau and Taiwan who have not travelled overseas within the past 14 days.
On 23 March, the authorities announced that all non-residents will be banned from entering or transiting via the city from 25 March for a minimum of 14 days. The restriction extends to residents of mainland China, Taiwan (ROC) and Macau (China SAR) who have been overseas within the past 14 days.
Meanwhile, the local authorities have imposed a red outbound travel alert (second level on a three-tier scale) on all countries, as part of further COVID-19-related restrictions. The red alert means ‘adjust travel plans’ and ‘avoid non-essential travel’.
All those entering Hong Kong from mainland China, including Hong Kong and mainland residents, are subject to mandatory quarantine for 14 days upon their arrival. Those entering Hong Kong from other locations will still be subject to mandatory quarantine if they have visited mainland China in the previous 14 days. Effective from 14 March, all travellers from Italy, as well as Bourgogne-Franche-Comte and Grand Est in France, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, Hokkaido in Japan, and La Rioja, Madrid and Basque Country in Spain will undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine. From 17 March, a 14-day self-quarantine is required for those returning from the Schengen Area in Europe and all of South Korea. The Hong Kong government has also issued a red travel alert on countries in the Schengen Area, advising the residents to defer non-essential travel. Effective 19 March, all travellers including residents who have been to Egypt, Ireland the UK or the US in the past 14 days will be subject to a compulsory 14-day home quarantine measure. On 17 March, the Hong Kong Chief Executive announced that from 19 March all travellers (including Hong Kong residents) arriving into the city would be placed under quarantine.
All Hong Kong residents returning to Hong Kong who have been to Daegu and North Gyeongsang province in Korea in the past 14 days must stay in a quarantine centre. Hong Kong residents returning from other cities and provinces of Korea will be required to undergo medical surveillance for 14 days. For border closures related to the outbreak please see our additional advice below.
Most routes to/from mainland China remain closed, leaving only Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge open. The Kai Tak and Ocean cruise terminals are also closed.
Macao (China)
Individuals from Hubei province or non-Macao residents who have visited Hubei province in the past 14 days are required to present “a medical certificate of no infection from novel coronavirus” issued by a medical institution recognised by the Macao authorities. Travellers who have been in Germany, France, Iran, Italy, Japan, South Korea or Spain within the past 14 days prior to their entry to Macao will undergo a 14-day quarantine at a designated venue, according to the instructions of health authorities. Effective from 12 March, travellers who have been in Norway within the past 14 days will need to submit to a medical examination.
Starting 18 March, there will be an entry ban for all non-residents of Macao, with the exception of work permit (blue card) holders, non-residents registered with city’s authorities and residents from mainland China, Hong Kong or Taiwan.
Taiwan (China)
Effective from 00.00, 19 March, all foreign nationals will be denied entry into Taiwan. Exceptions include Republic of China (ROC) citizens, diplomatic staff, permanent residents (APRC), Alien Residency Certificate (ARC) holders and business people with special permits. Travellers will not be allowed to transit through Taiwan until 7 April.
Those allowed into the nation will be subject to mandatory 14-day home quarantine measures. Travellers will be given a health declaration and home quarantine notification form before passing through immigration, which they must complete and sign. This form can be filled in electronically to save time. Quarantine takes place at home or at a planned place of stay in Taiwan. As of March 17, foreign nationals can rent a room in a public quarantine centre. Travellers will be checked on once or twice a day by officials in charge of quarantine. Leaving your accommodation will result in a fine of up to NT$1,000,000 (US$33,063).
Fuente: pandemic.internationalsos.com
