China:People falsifying health information face criminal charges

A staff member reminds foreigners to fill in an arrival card at Qingdao Liuting International Airport in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, March 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- People infected with quarantinable infectious diseases or suspected epidemic victims who refuse to receive isolated observation or fail to truthfully fill out their health declaration forms at border checkpoints, such as international airports, in China, could face criminal penalties, according to a guideline made public Monday.

The guideline was jointly released by the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Justice and the General Administration of Customs amid the country's efforts to strengthen quarantine measures to guard against imported COVID-19 cases.

The guideline aims to further strengthen health and quarantine work against the novel coronavirus at borders and more effectively keep public health secure by rule of law.

The guideline listed six kinds of behaviors that could constitute the crime of impairing frontier quarantine measures, targeting individuals who spread or risk spreading a quarantinable infectious disease identified by the State Council, including plague, cholera, yellow fever and COVID-19.

Among the listed behaviors is evading quarantine inspection of any special articles such as exported or imported microorganisms, human body tissues, biological products, blood and its products that may spread infectious diseases. 

The person in charge of the exit or entry conveyance where a confirmed or suspected epidemic victim is found should also be punished if he or she refuses to accept quarantine inspection.

Staff members inquire information of passengers at the New China International Exhibition Center in Beijing, capital of China, March 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

People who do not report truth about their infectious diseases or falsify their health statement cards when entering the country will be identified as disturbing border health and quarantine in accordance with Chinese criminal law.

Besides faking health information, the guideline also specifies several situations in which people should be identified as disturbing border health and quarantine in line with the Criminal Law.

For example, those who refuse health checks or quarantine orders from customs, or people responsible for exit-entry public transport in a region or country where an infectious disease is rampant but who intentionally hide non-accidental deaths, will face a similar criminal charge.

According to China's Criminal Law, whoever violates the provisions on frontier health and quarantine inspection and causes the spread or a grave danger of the spread of a quarantinable infectious disease shall face penalties ranging from a fine to imprisonment of no more than three years.

The guideline asked public security authorities to promptly handle related cases in accordance with the law and fast-track and expose such criminal activities during the COVID-19 prevention and control period to have a strong deterrent effect.

Concealing health status, forging health and checkup forms

will lead to conviction

China has stepped up checks for international travelers and imposed penalties for those who lie about their health conditions to sneak across the Chinese border, as the country is on high alert to ward off threats of new infections from outside after easing the spread of the virus at home via a hard fight.

Given the fact that there have been 37 imported cases in Beijing and 123 nationwide, as well as practical problems such as lax home-isolation enforcement and concealing of health conditions, China's five top authorities announced on Monday that obstructing border health checkups, including concealing one's health status by providing wrong information when filling in a health form, and forging health and checkup forms and certificates, will be punished and lead to conviction.

Wang Jun, an official from China's General Administration of Customs, warned at a press briefing that tourists must honestly report their health conditions to the customs, and cooperate with testing procedures. Those who take the chance to escape or evade customs checkups will be spurned by the public, and also might face imprisonment.

As of press time, at least 16 Chinese people who returned from overseas while concealing the fact they were carrying the virus were investigated, including the latest case involving a 37-year-old woman who recently flew from Los Angeles to Beijing, for breaching rules on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases by lying about her own and her family's health status.

Analysts believe that the policies being made along with changes in the situation and broad public opinion are bricks for constructing the final 'Great Wall' that will ensure the safety of the Chinese people. According to reports, at least 27 out of over 30 imported cases had symptoms before they entered China.

Analysts believe that more measures should be promptly taken in addition to the prevention of imported cases, considering the dicey situation and panic of overseas Chinese due to many countries being unable to test and treat huge numbers of people like China was able to.

As of Monday, the total number of coronavirus cases overseas reached 86,430, which was more than the total number in China.

Zhi Zhenfeng, a legal expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, called for more severe punishment for concealing the truth, such as huge fines according to an individual's salary. "Five times the annual income, maybe," he said. 

Some also suggested including those who lied about their health condition to get into China on the blacklist in the nation's social credit system. 

Zhi noted that some countries are actually encouraging overseas Chinese to go back to lighten their loads and pass the buck, which is highly immoral as the risk of infection during the journey is greater than staying at home when people are healthy. As a result, Zhi is calling for more cross-country communication and cooperation. 

Zhi said it is necessary to build makeshift hospitals and designated quarantine spaces in advance, just in case more overseas Chinese return.

China Police investigate woman who lied about infection

[Photo/VCG]

Beijing police have started investigating a 37-year-old woman confirmed to have coronavirus who recently flew from Los Angeles to Beijing, for lying about her health status in order to take the flight and get to China.

The Beijing local government reported the case at a briefing Monday afternoon, saying the woman didn't provide her real health condition, or her husband and son's, bringing risk of infection to flight crew and other passengers. The woman is currently under treatment in a designated hospital and her husband and son are being quarantined. 

Surnamed Li, the woman lives and works in Massachusetts, US, and arrived at Beijing International Hospital on Friday. Li was found to have a fever on March 1. Li was very likely infected at a company meeting in late February, as one of her colleagues had earlier been diagnosed as having coronavirus. 

According to Beijing's CDC, Li said she had been rejected by the US side for COVID-19 tests on three occasions, which is why she sought medical treatment back in China, together with her husband and child.  

China announced on Monday that six kinds of acts will be punished as obstructing border health checkups, including concealing health status by providing wrong information when filling in a health form, as well as forging health and checkup forms and certificates. 

Beijing CDC stressed on Saturday that if overseas Chinese have fever and other symptoms, the first choice is to seek local medical treatment or undergo home isolation in a timely manner and avoid traveling. Long-distance international travel must be avoided, as it is extremely harmful to themselves and other passengers, and poses a great risk of spreading the virus. China recorded at least 123 imported COVID-19 cases as of Monday.

Source: China Daily; https://peoplesdaily.pdnews.cn; Xinhua;GLOBAL TIMES；SHINE

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