China Cities Curb Travel From Other Countries in Virus Turnabout

(Bloomberg) --

Some Chinese cities have begun to restrict arrivals from overseas, as growing coronavirus outbreaks elsewhere prompt the country to enact curbs similar to those facing its own travelers.

The coastal city of Weihai announced Tuesday that all people arriving from Japan and South Korea would be required to undergo 14-day quarantines in designated hotels. Weihai, which was once a British colony called Port Edward, sits about 400 kilometers (250 miles) west of the Korean Peninsula and is connected by ferry to Incheon, South Korea.

The adjacent city of Yantai similarly said Tuesday that those who’ve entered China for short-term business and tourism visits would be required to stay in selected hotels. The port city of Qingdao, meanwhile, said people who recently visited infected areas and have fever and respiratory symptoms would be subject to quarantine.

The moves signal that the epidemic’s momentum has shifted outside of China, where it’s infected more than 77,000 and killed more than 2,600. Until recently, China, where the virus emerged in December, had been the primary target of travel restrictions as other countries tried to safeguard their populations from infection.

That’s changing as infections spike in South Korea and Japan, as well as further afield in Italy and the Middle East, while China’s own additional cases slow dramatically.

Outbreaks including those at a church group and a hospital have helped make South Korea the hardest-hit country outside China, with almost 900 confirmed cases of the disease.

The coastal province of Shandong -- where Qingdao, Weihai and Yantai are located -- had 755 coronavirus cases, including four deaths, as of Monday, according to data compiled by the World Health Organization. The Weihai government said it would seek to contact all people who visited from Japan and South Korea since Feb. 10 to determine whether they’re at risk of carrying the virus.

“The main purpose of these measures is to avoid cross-infection to the maximum extent,” the government said in a statement.

To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Dandan Li in Beijing at dli395@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Rachel Chang

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With assistance from Bloomberg