International Flights to Beijing Diverted to Nearby Cities for Landing... Air China Implements First

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] China will block its national airlines' international flights from landing at Beijing Airport starting tomorrow to prevent the re-importation of COVID-19 cases, allowing them to land at nearby cities instead. The measure will gradually be expanded to other airlines.

According to the aviation industry on the 18th, Beijing authorities decided that from the 19th, international Air China flights arriving in Beijing will first land in nearby cities such as Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, and Taiyuan to undergo quarantine procedures. Passengers will go through quarantine in these areas, and those showing COVID-19 symptoms will be isolated and treated, while asymptomatic individuals will be allowed to continue on to Beijing.

An aviation industry official explained, "We received a notice from Beijing Capital International Airport regarding this matter," adding, "The measure will be applied first to Air China international flights starting tomorrow, and after assessing its effectiveness, it will be expanded to other airlines. There is no specific timeline yet for when other airlines will be included."

China believes the domestic spread of COVID-19 is under control, but remains highly vigilant against re-importation as overseas outbreaks continue unabated. With Chinese nationals returning from countries experiencing concentrated outbreaks, Chinese authorities are intensifying airport quarantine measures to block re-importation.

On the same day, the National Health Commission of China (NHC) announced 13 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in China. Only one new case was reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, known as the origin of the virus. The remaining 12 cases were imported from overseas: 5 in Guangdong Province, 3 in Beijing, 3 in Shanghai, and 1 in Sichuan Province.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.