Drivers and passengers who have no proof that they live or work in Shanghai are being turned back at police checkpoints when they try to enter the city by road.

A total of 8,220 people in 4,854 vehicles have been turned away when trying to enter Shanghai by road, Shanghai police said on Friday.

People who have no residence and are not employed in Shanghai are being denied entry for the time being.

Police take residence cards, employee cards, property ownership certificates, student cards and other documents as proof of a residence or employment in the city, but they will also check the information independently. People without proof or who have no residence or employment record will be turned away.

Shanghai police have also established a mechanism with their counterparts in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces in interprovincial junction control and the exchange of information of people diagnosed with the novel coronavirus pneumonia and their close contacts.

Efficiency at checkpoints

Police said they have taken measures to relieve congestion at nine expressway entrances into Shanghai.

At peak periods, a total of 81 lanes are open, while volunteers are reminding motorists to fill out a health statement form on a mobile app before they go through security and health checks.

So far, over 5.6 million people in 2.4 million vehicles have gone through police checks at entrances into Shanghai via expressways and other roads, with 1,676 people taken to quarantine spots and 587 taken to the hospital for having a fever, police said.