As of midnight Wednesday, Beijing has reported a total of 64 imported COVID-19 cases, the most in the country, and accounting for 34 percent of the total imported cases of COVID-19 nationwide, said Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the municipal center for disease prevention and control on Thursday. 

Imported cases of COVID-19 have become a major challenge for the epidemic prevention and control work in the city, Pang said.

Earlier, local authorities said Beijing will seek a mandatory 14-day quarantine of all overseas arrivals as a preventative measure to control the spread of the coronavirus.

On the same day, an official from National Health Commission said at a press conference that imported coronavirus cases accounted for 84.55 percent of the new confirmed cases in China in recent weeks.

Moreover, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said it would divert some international flights originally bound for Beijing to other Chinese cities as an epidemic prevention and control measure. 

International flights, including Air China's CA 910 from Moscow, CA 934 from Paris and CA 926 from Tokyo and Hainan Airlines' HU 7976 from Toronto, will be adjusted to other cities, such as Tianjin, Hohhot and Taiyuan during March 20-22. 

(Cover: File photo)