China has tightened checks on international travellers at Beijing airport and said it would centrally quarantine all arrivals at its capital, after new imported coronavirus cases surpassed locally transmitted infections for a second day.

China, where the epidemic began in December, appears to now face a greater threat of new infections from outside its borders as it continues to slow the spread of the virus domestically. Mainland China reported 20 new cases of infections on March 14, up from 11 cases a day earlier, data from by the National Health Commission showed on Sunday.

Of those, 16 were imported, including five in the capital Beijing. Three of the cases in Beijing involved travellers from Spain while one came from Italy and the other from Thailand.

Against this background, the Beijing government has said anyone arriving from abroad will be transferred to city quarantine facilities for 14 days, starting Monday.

All expenses during the period will be borne by those in quarantine, city deputy secretary-general Chen Bei said.

Some may be allowed to quarantine themselves at home after strict evaluation, Chen added, without offering details.

People who falsely report information, conceal a disease or cause the spread of the epidemic will be punished according to the regulations, she cautioned.

Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, urged Beijing residents to not travel abroad to reduce the chances of infection.

Those currently abroad who have been in contact with infected people or show signs of infection should seek treatment where they are and not return with symptoms, she said.

Beijing has redirected all international flights that were scheduled to land at its new Daxing International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport, and as of Sunday has cordoned off a special area to process these passengers, the state-backed Beijing News reported.