All travelers entering the Chinese mainland through checkpoints in Guangdong province will be required to take nucleic acid tests for novel coronavirus and undergo a 14-day quarantine at designated places starting on Friday.

The new rule that starts at 6am also applies to those coming from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs) and Taiwan, as well as travelers transferring in Guangdong.

Food and accommodation expenditures during the quarantine will be paid by the travelers themselves.

People safeguarding the normal production and living in Hong Kong and Macao, and cross-border drivers and sailors transporting emergency supplies between Guangdong and the SARs will not be required to take quarantine at designated places for the time being.

However, they will also be tested for the virus and put under strict health management.

The tightened rule was announced by Guangdong provincial authority on Thursday as the province had reported 96 imported COVID-19 infection cases by Thursday noon.