Visa-free tourists allowed to retrieve banned goods

BEIJING - Beijing relaxed its 72-hour visa-free transit policy on Wednesday by allowing tourists traveling under this arrangement to claim back prohibited-entry goods upon leaving the capital.

Goods including pets and food are prohibited from entering Beijing, although they can be stored upon arrival. Travelers are allowed to apply to retrieve them upon departure, although this did not previously apply to those taking advantage of the 72-hour visa-free transit policy.

In announcing the move, a spokesman for the Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau clarified that some fresh foods that are not easy to preserve would not be returned.

To prevent infectious disease or animal and plant disease from entering the country, the bureau also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development on Wednesday.

The two government organs will report overseas epidemic situations to each other so as to prevent the entry and spread of infectious viruses.