China hopes that people who come to China from countries severely hit by the novel coronavirus will fully understand and cooperate with China’s epidemic control measures to jointly prevent the risk of spread, an official with the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

Local governments have, based on their own conditions, strengthened their inspection and quarantine measures on people entering China from countries and regions severely hit by the virus, such as taking temperature checks and home quarantine, Cui Aimin, director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Department of Consular Affairs, said at a press conference of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council in Beijing.

Such measures, in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations, are not only necessary for the current epidemic control work, but also are effective for preventing the transnational spread of the epidemic, Cui said.

Cui noted that foreign citizens will be treated equally as Chinese citizens without discrimination in terms of the application of epidemic prevention measures.

China will fully take into consideration the reasonable concerns of parties involved, respect their religious beliefs and customs, he said, adding that foreign citizens will also be offered with necessary assistance from the communities where they live to solve their difficulties after they enter China.