Staff members disinfect facilities on the train K5227 which runs from Beijing West Railway Station to Qinghecheng Railway Station of Xingtai, north China's Hebei Province, January 30, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

Beijing has set up a 24/7 transfer center in suburban  Shunyi district for people arriving from overseas to arrange quarantine and health management work as the capital city faces mounting pressure from imported cases.

People traveling to Beijing from non-coronavirus-stricken countries and regions are also required to undertake a 14-day quarantine, a policy expanded from a regulation previously applied to passengers from hard-hit countries such as Italy, Iran and South Korea.

Beijing reported six new imported cases on Wednesday, including the first from the US, raising the total of imported cases in the city to 20. China has reported 79 imported COVID-19 infections as of Wednesday. 

The transfer station, converted from an exhibition center, will direct incoming travelers to different districts for quarantine. They will be taken by designated vehicles and quarantined at home or at quarantine centers if they do not have a residence in Beijing, according to a press conference on Beijing's epidemic prevention and control work on Wednesday. 

The transfer station will also coordinate with other provinces and regions to escort travelers whose destinations are other Chinese cities.  

Those traveling to Beijing for short-term business purposes need to stay at designated hotels and take nucleic acid tests before carrying out activities in the city. 

Global Times