2020 was an extraordinary year. Over the past year, with our joint efforts, the situation of COVID-19 prevention and control in Hefei has been steadily improving, and the order of work and life has been restored in an well-organized manner. Foreign friends from all walks of life in Hefei, have also offered strong support to us in the fight against the pandemic and made positive contributions to the COVID-19 response. Thus, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to you all!

At present, sporadic outbreaks are reported in several places in China and the risk of cross-regional transmission still exists, which brings great pressure to the work for us to take prevention and control measures in the winter-spring period. Hefei is our shared home and thus it is our shared responsibility to fight against COVID-19. We hereby propose the following initiatives.

1. If you're planning a return trip to Hefei recently, please take strict prevention measures against cross infection during the journey. Do not take off masks when you're taking such public transportation vehicles as air, train, ship, coach, metro, bus, taxi (cars hailed online included) and other conveyances.

2. If you're coming from overseas, please immediately inform your inviter, employer or the community you live in before your arrival in Hefei. Please comply with measures required by local COVID-19 prevention and control emergency headquarters. You shall be quarantined at designated places for 14 days in the city of entry and for another 7 days in Hefei separately. When the centralized quarantine period ends, you shall stay at home for a seven-day medical observation period in Hefei.

3. If you're from or travelling through high- or medium-risk areas of China, please inform your community, work unit or hotel within six hours upon your arrival in Hefei. If you're from or travelling through high-risk areas, you shall undergo quarantine and medical observation at a designated place for 14 days in Hefei and receive two nucleic acid tests; if you're from or travelling through medium-risk areas, you shall undergo strict community-administered medical observation at home for 14 days and receive two nucleic acid tests; if you come from low-risk areas in municipal-level cities and districts where local cases have been found within the past 14 days, you shall bring a negative nucleic acid test result issued within three days before you go around in a free but orderly way.

4. If you're under home medical observation or health monitoring, please take proper self-protection measures such as washing hands frequently, ventilating your room regularly and maintaining good hygiene habits. In case you have such symptoms as fever, cough, fatigue, and/or anything abnormal, please dial "120" immediately.

5. If you're in Hefei at present, please raise your self-protection awareness and avoid unnecessary travel to other places, especially to high- or medium-risk areas. In addition, you're advised to avoid unnecessary get-together activities, to stay far from crowded venues and especially poorly ventilated places, and to keep safe social distance.

6. Please closely follow the official notices on the latest COVID-19 prevention and control measures in Hefei.

If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind? Let's join hands and help each other to address the hardships together. Thanks again for your understanding and cooperation and may you and your family happiness, health and peace in the new year!

Foreign Affairs Office of Hefei Municipal People's Government

January 20, 2021