Mu Xiaolu returned to Beijing from Spain about a week ago. The international seaman now finds himself occupied on land. 

"Actually, I'm quite busy. You see, we cannot go out, but we have started to work. In my free time, I will call my family, and I read," he said.

Mu works on the sea for his job and only returns to China every seven months. The outbreak postponed his return this time around, yet he felt a lot safer when he finally arrived.

As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps across the world, China is taking stricter quarantine measures to prevent imported cases from spreading. Beijing is requiring everyone returning from abroad to enter a mandatory 14-day quarantine within centralized observation centers. 

Forty-five returnees from overseas are quarantined at an observation center in the Haidian District, Beijing.

Fifty employees take care of them around the clock, disinfecting the building, preparing meals, collecting garbage and even making deliveries.

Professional nurses monitor their body temperature and other biological symptoms via online platforms. 

The returnees have to pay 80 yuan per day for their meals, and 400 yuan a day for their stay.

"When I was in Spain, the coronavirus was not so serious in Europe. So, people there did not take any protective measures. But I think maybe different countries have their policies over this outbreak. Time will tell what is right," Mu said.

Although Mu thinks it's an obligation to quarantine himself for two weeks, his hope to reunite with his family and friends has traveled beyond. 

"After these 14 days, I think I will have a celebration. I will go to see my family. I miss them very much. Through the days, I wanted to tell them how much I love them, and I also love my neighbors," he said. 

"As there are now more people returning to Beijing from abroad, the pressure of our work is indeed a little bit high. When they come back, this kind of concentrated isolation will give them some psychological pressure, so we have to be extra careful about their psychological relief," said Huang Lujun, the official in charge of the observation center. 

Mu expects to reunite with his family in eight days.

Read more: COVID-19: What you need for two weeks of self-isolation