Chinese customs toughens measures to curb COVID-19 import

China has ramped up measures to stem the inflow of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said on March 30.

The GAC has been conducting risk assessments toward key air routes, international cruise lines, flights and ships with big data, and gathered information while taking countermeasures and carrying out precise interception, said GAC official Song Yueqian at a news conference.

The customs also required the airlines and ships to conduct onboard body temperature tests and report to the GAC when any anomalies occur, according to Song.

All personnel inbound and outbound through airways or waterways must report their health condition. Online health declarations were encouraged to reduce the gathering of passengers, Song said.

Song noted that all confirmed cases, suspected cases, personnel with symptoms and close contacts shall all be transferred, quarantined and kept for observation.

Meanwhile, the GAC has been strengthening the allocation of testing instruments and reagents to improve the capability and efficiency of laboratory testing, Song said.

The Chinese mainland reported 30 new imported COVID-19 cases on March 29, bringing the total number of imported cases to 723.